Social Media, Racial Identity, and the Mental Health Consequences of Vicarious Racism among Black Adults

Recent literature suggests that vicarious racism is linked to adverse psychological health outcomes. However, our understanding of protective and risk factors in this context remains limited. This study examined the relationships among social media use integration, vicarious racism, individual differences (race-based rejection sensitivity and racial centrality), and psychological outcomes (anxiety and depression) in a sample of Black American adults. We hypothesized that higher social media use integration would predict greater anxiety and depression, with vicarious racism accounting for these associations, and that individual differences would moderate these relationships. The sample consisted of 244 Black adults (M_age = 30.85, SD = 10.83) who reported having a social media account. Participants completed self-report measures assessing experiences of vicarious racism, race-based rejection sensitivity, racial centrality, social media use integration, and symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Results indicated a significant indirect association between social media use integration and psychological distress through vicarious racism, such that greater integration was associated with higher anxiety and depression via increased exposure to these expereiences. Neither race-based rejection nor racial centrality moderated these indirect effects; however, both showed direct effects on mental health, with racial centrality inversely related to anxiety and race-based rejection sensitivity positively related to depression. Findings underscore the psychological risks of digital racial exposure and highlight the role of identity-related factors in shaping mental health outcomes. Implications for interventions addressing online racial stressors are discussed.