(PS5-24) Do Black Adolescents Report Reductions in Racism-related Vigilance Following a Culturally Responsive Cognitive-behavioral Intervention for Social Anxiety?

Racial discrimination has been associated with anxiety in Black youth (Bernard et al., 2022; Bernard et al., 2023; Cave et al., 2020), as well as with social anxiety disorder (SAD) in Black adults (Levine et al., 2014). It has been suggested that preparing for and anticipating discrimination may contribute to racism-related vigilance and, in turn, heighten symptoms of anxiety (Carter & Forsyth, 2010; MacIntyre et al., 2023). Racism-related vigilance has been defined as continuously monitoring and modifying one’s behavior and surroundings in an attempt to protect oneself from anticipated discrimination (Clark et al., 2006; Hicken et al., 2013). Despite commonalities in the experiences of racism-related vigilance and SAD (e.g., social avoidance, being careful about one’s appearance), it is unclear whether racism-related vigilance is associated with social anxiety in Black adolescents, and whether a cognitive-behavioral intervention for social anxiety would be linked to a reduction in racism-related vigilance. Therefore, this study explored relations among racial discrimination, racism-related vigilance, and social anxiety in a sample of Black adolescents who participated in a culturally responsive intervention for SAD. 

Participants were 10 adolescents who self-identified as Black (M age = 15.5, SD = 1.08, 50% female) and were recruited from an urban high school to participate in a pilot evaluation of Interacting and Changing our Narratives, a 12-session group cognitive-behavioral intervention for SAD that incorporates a session on racial empowerment and discussion about the relationship between racism and social anxiety. Students were screened for SAD using the ADIS for DSM-IV: Child version (M clinician severity rating [CSR] = 4.6, SD = 1.27) and the SCARED SAD subscale (M = 8.40, SD = 2.72). All students received a CSR of 3 or higher for SAD. Participants completed the Everyday Discrimination Scale (to assess racial discrimination) and Heightened Vigilance Scale (to assess racism-related vigilance) before and after the intervention. The same SAD measures were administered post-intervention.

Bivariate correlations revealed that baseline racism-related vigilance was associated with baseline experiences of discrimination (r = .792, p < .05). Racism-related vigilance significantly decreased from pre- (M = 21.1, SD = 4.0) to post-intervention (M = 18.5, SD = 5.2), with a medium effect size (t(9) = 2.04, p = 0.35, d = .645). However, baseline racism-related vigilance and experiences of discrimination were not related to social anxiety (as indicated by the CSR and SCARED) at pre- or post-intervention, or with change in social anxiety across the intervention. 

Findings suggest that participation in a culturally responsive intervention for SAD may be associated with a decrease in racism-related vigilance among Black adolescents. The non-significant correlational analyses should be viewed with caution given the small sample size. Future research should further explore how racism-related vigilance may be implicated in the relationship between racial discrimination and social anxiety, as well as how interventions may better address racism-related vigilance.