3-172 - Online Discrimination and Adolescent Development: Better Understanding Mechanisms of Influence and Opportunities for Intervention

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Much remains unknown regarding 1) the nature and frequency with which adolescents experience online racial discrimination, 2) the mechanisms through which online racial discrimination may negatively influence adolescent outcomes, and 3) factors that may mitigate the noxious effects of exposure to online racial discrimination on adolescent outcomes. Further, few studies have explored ways to intervene to disrupt adolescents’ exposure to online racial discrimination. The proposed symposium aims to advance our knowledge base in all four of these domains through the incorporation of multiple methods and the inclusion of diverse adolescent samples. Paper one sought to better understand the nature of Black adolescents’ experiences of online discrimination via a daily diary study. Findings of this investigation suggest that online discrimination occurs more frequently than offline discrimination and that a range of different types of discrimination (e.g., online direct, offline vicarious) appear to have similar deleterious effects on depressive symptoms. Paper two explored potential pathways of influence of online discrimination exposure on adolescent well-being. Findings indicate that secondary traumatic stress may mediate the association between vicarious online discrimination and internalizing symptoms. Paper three examined potential protective factors among Black and Latino adolescents experiencing online discrimination and found that self-worth protected against the detrimental effects of online discrimination on adolescents’ perceived academic competence. Paper four moves the symposium to a focus on how to intervene to disrupt adolescents’ exposure to online discrimination by developing and testing a brief online bystander intervention for White adolescents to confront other White adolescents engaging in online discrimination.

Sub Unit

• Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Chair

• Noelle M Hurd, University of Virginia

Individual Presentations

• Daily Online, Offline, Direct and Vicarious Racial Discrimination among Black American Adolescents - Presenting Author: Devin English, Hunter College, City University of New York; Non-Presenting Author: Sharon Lambert, George Washington University; Non-Presenting Author: Brendesha Tynes, University of Southern California

• Secondary Traumatic Stress as a Lens to Understand Vicarious Online Discrimination among Diverse Late Adolescents - Presenting Author: Vanessa Volpe, Ursinus College; Non-Presenting Author: Athena Gainey, Ursinus College; Non-Presenting Author: Alexa Beacham, Ursinus College

• Sociocultural Risks and Assets Predicting Academic Competence & College-Going Efficacy Among Black and Latino Adolescents - Presenting Author: Briana Green, North Carolina State Universty; Non-Presenting Author: Elan Hope, North Carolina State University

• Online Discrimination, Black Students’ Academic Experiences, and the Role of White Bystanders - Presenting Author: Noelle M Hurd, University of Virginia; Non-Presenting Author: Sophie Trawalter, University of Virginia; Non-Presenting Author: Alex Jakubow, University of Virginia; Non-Presenting Author: Haley E Johnson, University of Virginia - Curry School of Education; Non-Presenting Author: Janelle Billingsley, University of Virginia