Dr. Trenette Clark Goings
in the Media

The media have interviewed Dr. Trenette, and various news outlets have covered her research over the past decade. Explore some of the highlights below:

Couched in Color Podcast with Dr. Alfiee

April 29, 2021

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How can we prevent life-altering, substance addictions?

It is the guiding question in the research and intervention work of Trenette Goings, professor of social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her multi-year effort at understanding the factors that contribute to substance misuse and those that prevent it, especially in Black communities, is both an academic and a personal quest.

“I have family members who I never met because of addiction,” she says. “So for me, it’s very personal.”

Growing up, her father warned her that substance use “can take you further than you want to go.” Between those warnings and what she saw in the lives of many around her, she stayed far away from it herself, but helping to prevent substance use is now a driving force in her life.

Studies have shown that perceived discrimination among minority adolescents leads to smoking, anger, alcohol use and abuse, depression, or psychological distress. Additionally, a new study by UNL sociologist Bridget Goosby demonstrates that discrimination also directly impacts the overall health of African American adolescents.

According to the American Heart Association, African Americans are at a higher risk than whites to die of heart disease. In addition, research over the last decade has demonstrated that discrimination against African Americans may directly cause many of these health problems. However, despite this data, most of this research has been in adults.

In both blacks and whites, familiar feelings of discrimination can mess with the body’s levels of the primary stress hormone, cortisol, new research suggests.

This study, one of the first to look at the biological response to the cumulative impact of prejudicial treatment, found that in African-Americans, the adverse effects of perceived discrimination on cortisol are more substantial than in whites.

The team of researchers, led by Northwestern University, also found that the teenage years are a susceptible period to be experiencing discrimination regarding the future impact on adult cortisol levels.

A new study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that African Americans and Caribbean-born Blacks who experience discrimination in the United States are at a substantially higher risk for anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and other mental disorders.

The study, led by Trenette Clark, an assistant professor of social work, surveyed more than 4,400 Blacks between 18 and 65. Some 83 percent of all respondents said they had experienced discrimination over the past 12 months. Half of all respondents said they experienced discrimination several times, and 14 percent said they had experienced discrimination frequently. Those who experienced discrimination several times were more likely to suffer from mental health and substance abuse problems.

African-Americans and Caribbean blacks, who are victims of discrimination, face a heightened risk of developing mental disorders including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, according to a new study led by the University of North Carolina.

The researchers said that discrimination in terms of disrespect and arrogance does not seem to play a role in the increased risk of mental disorders. However, when hostile and character-based discrimination combines with disrespect and condescension, African-American and Caribbean black adults are at significant risk for mental health problems.

New research shows that African Americans and Caribbean Blacks who experience multiple types of discrimination are at a much greater risk for various mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. The same study, published in the August 2014 edition of Addictive Behaviors, also suggests four main types of discrimination, which, experienced in concert, place adults at high risk for mental health problems.

Dr. Trenette Clark of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, lead author of the study, wrote, “This [study] is the first study to examine whether classes of everyday discrimination is associated with mood and substance-use disorders among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks.”

Researchers have determined that African Americans and Caribbean blacks are at substantially greater risk for various mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.
This increased risk happens because they experience discrimination of multiple types. The research, co-authored by professor Christopher Salas-Wright (The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Social Work, August 2014), suggests that experiences of discrimination in the form of disrespect and condescension do not alone appear to increase the risk for most mental disorders. However, hostile and character-based discrimination in combination with disrespect and condescension does seem to place African American and Caribbean black adults at considerable risk for mental health problems.

Other Media

“Study finds discrimination harms mental health” on WCHL radio station.

September 20, 2014

Live on “The Dinner Club” (5-6pm) on WRSV FM radio station in Rocky Mount, NC.

September 25, 2014