Life Stress and Resilience to Substance Misuse in Black and White Youth
Official title: Life Stress Pathways and Resilience to Substance Misuse in Black and White Youth
Funded at University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr · NIH-11382418 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study following a diverse group of children and teens to understand how stress influences substance use differently for Black and White youth and what helps protect against misuse.
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 start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $548,259 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA054910-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11382418 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents in Shelby County/Memphis, TN, who are part of the existing CANDLE cohort or similar age groups tracked for developmental research.
✕Less likely to help
Youth outside the study population or those not experiencing stress-related risk factors may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project extends an ongoing long-term study of families in Memphis to examine how different stressors, their timing, and trajectories affect substance use in Black and White youths. Researchers will look at parenting, thinking skills, and mental health as possible ways stress leads to or protects against misuse. The study aims to identify protective factors that may buffer stress-related risk more strongly in Black youth than White youth. By following participants from early childhood into adolescence, we hope to uncover when and how stress exposure shapes substance-related outcomes. The work could inform targeted prevention strategies that address racial differences in risk and resilience.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide culturally tailored prevention programs that reduce substance misuse among youth by addressing stress exposure and protective factors.
How similar studies have gone: Previous longitudinal studies have linked stress, neurocognition, and mental health to substance use, with some evidence of racial differences in risk and resilience.
Where this research is happening
-
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
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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.