Intersectional Racial, Gender, and Socioeconomic Discrimination and Youth Alcohol and Cannabis Use: A Latent Class Analysis Among Black and White Adolescents

Abstract Discrimination-related stress impacts adolescent substance use, particularly among minoritized groups, but intersecting discrimination experiences remain underexamined. This study employs a person-centered approach to identify distinct patterns of discrimination among Black and White adolescents and assesses their associations with alcohol and cannabis use. We conducted secondary analysis of a statewide study of families with teenage offspring aged 13–19 ( n = 1,052; 53.0% Black; 51.1% female). Latent class analysis (12 dichotomous indicators) examined discrimination attributes across four settings. Multiple-group analyses tested model invariance between Black and White adolescents while demographic-adjusted multinomial regressions examined substance use associations with class membership. The latent class structure significantly differed by race, prompting stratified analyses. For Black youth, four classes emerged: no discrimination (75.8%), racial discrimination in public (12.6%), racial law enforcement discrimination (7.8%), and multiple attribute and setting discrimination (3.8%). For White youth, two classes were identified: no discrimination (89.6%) and moderate school discrimination (10.4%). Among Black youth, racial discrimination in public was linked to alcohol use, whereas multiple attribute and setting discrimination was associated with cannabis use. Law enforcement discrimination was associated with both alcohol and cannabis use. Among White youth, moderate school discrimination was associated with cannabis use but not alcohol use. Findings highlight varying discrimination experiences between Black and White adolescents and their differential impact on substance use. Future research should examine the directionality of this relationship by discrimination attribute and setting to guide interventions mitigating discrimination and substance use-related harms in Black youth.