How life stress and supports shape substance use risk in Black and White children and teens
Life Stress Pathways and Resilience to Substance Misuse in Black and White Youth
This project looks at how different stresses and protective factors across childhood and adolescence relate to substance use risk in Black and White youth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11109458 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You or your child would be part of follow-up work from the CANDLE birth cohort, which enrolled pregnant women in Memphis and has tracked children into adolescence. Researchers will use the cohort's long-term data to map when and what kinds of stress exposures happen, and how those patterns relate to later substance use. They will also study possible pathways linking stress to use—like parenting, thinking and brain-related measures, and mental health—and look for strengths that protect Black youth more strongly. The goal is to explain why substance use rates differ by race and find resilience factors that could guide support for families.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children, adolescents, and their caregivers from the CANDLE cohort in Shelby County/Memphis (primarily Black and White families) or similar families interested in long-term follow-up on stress and substance use.
Not a fit: People outside the study age range, from other regions, or not part of the cohort may not receive direct benefit or be eligible to participate.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help design better prevention and support programs that reduce substance use risk and strengthen protective factors for children and teens.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked childhood stress to later substance use but have not fully explained the racial paradox, so combining long-term cohort data with mediation and resilience analyses is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Memphis, United States
- University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr — Memphis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Derefinko, Karen J — University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
- Study coordinator: Derefinko, Karen J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.