Effects of Vicarious Racism Exposure via the Media on College Students of Color: Exploring Affect and Substance Use

Abstract

Given the potential negative effects of vicarious racism, we sought to examine the impact of vicarious racism via the media on college students of color. Using a sample of 217 college students of color, we analyzed positive and negative affect and craving for alcohol and marijuana before and after exposure to media stimuli. Split-plot analysis of variance results revealed a statistically significant interaction effect between time and group for negative affect, but not cravings for substances.