The Longitudinal Impact of Discrimination on Substance Use among Filipino and Korean American Youth

Asian American youth remain underrepresented in substance use research, despite growing visibility and evidence that some subgroups report disproportionately high levels of use. Although racial discrimination is a well-established risk factor for substance use, little is known about how its impact changes as Asian American youth grow up. This study used four waves of longitudinal data from 786 Asian American youth in the Midwestern U.S. (Mage.wave1=15 years; 52% female; 48% Filipino; 52% Korean) to examine how racial discrimination relates to substance use (current tobacco, alcohol, and illegal substance use; lifetime unauthorized stimulant use) from early adolescence to emerging adulthood. Mixed-effects logistic regression models tested between- and within-subjects effects of discrimination and age and their interactions. Findings reveal that more discrimination (between-subjects) was associated with greater current alcohol use, illegal substance use, and lifetime unauthorized stimulant use. Increases in discrimination over time (within-subjects) were linked to greater lifetime unauthorized stimulant use. The impact of discrimination (within-subjects) on alcohol and illegal substance use was stronger when youth were younger, although sensitivity analyses suggested that the effects were only marginally significant (p < .10), warranting cautious interpretation. Specifically, greater experiences of discrimination (within-subjects) were associated with more drinking yet lower illegal substance use during early adolescence, and these effects diminished as youth aged. This study provides a more nuanced understanding of how racial discrimination differentially shapes trajectories of various types of substance use during a critical developmental period. Findings can inform culturally responsive intervention strategies attentive to the unique challenges faced by Asian American youth.