(PS7-C58) The Relationship Between Online Racism and Alcohol Consumption and Suicide Ideation: is Internalized Racism a Mediating Factor?

Title: The Relationship Between Online Racism and Alcohol Consumption and Suicide Ideation: Is Internalized Racism A Mediating Factor?

Authors: Ashley Powell, Danielle Rette, and Jazmin Reyes-Portillo

Institution: Montclair State University

Background: With the rise of social media sites as platforms to express opinions, there has been an increase in online racism experienced by people of color, particularly Black Americans and Asian Americans. Online racism is associated with negative mental health outcomes like increased substance use and suicidality. One way online racism may lead to deteriorating mental health is through its impact on internalized racism (i.e., negative beliefs and feelings a person has about themselves and their racial/ethnic group). This study examined whether internalized racism mediated the relationship between direct and vicarious experiences of online racism and mental health outcomes, such as alcohol consumption and suicidal ideation. Methods: Participants were 517 college students (79% female; Mean Age =19.63) who self-identified as Black American (20.4%), Asian American (11.6%), Latinx (60.3%), Middle Eastern (1.7%), Native American (0.2%), Hawaiian (0.6%), Mixed Race (3.9%), and Other (0.2%). Participants completed an online survey assessing experiences of online racial discrimination (Online Victimization Scale) internalized racism (Cross Ethic-Racial Identity Scale), alcohol consumption (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), and suicide ideation (Scale for Suicide Ideation). Results: Many students reported experiencing direct (56.8%) and vicarious (78.2%) online racism. Additionally, various students (5.4%) met the clinical cut off for alcohol use and (16.2%) reported suicidal ideation. PROCESS Model 4 was used to test whether internalized racism mediated the relationship between online racism and alcohol use and suicidal ideation. The model for suicidal ideation was significant, accounting for 5.51% of the variance. Online racism was associated with increased suicidal ideation and internalized racism significantly mediated this relationship. The model for alcohol use was also significant, accounting for 5.60% of the variance. While online racism was associated with increased alcohol use, no significant indirect effect was found. Conclusions: Results revealed that many students reported experiences of online racism, which was associated with elevated alcohol use and suicidal ideation. Internalized racism also mediated the relationship between online racism and suicidal ideation. Future research should examine whether results differ according to race/ethnicity, as well as develop interventions that target internalized racism to help buffer the impact of online racism on mental health.