Kanila is a student in UMSL’s Clinical Psychology PhD program. She earned her BA in Psychology from Talladega College in 2017. In 2019, she earned her MA in Clinical Psychology and MS in Quantitative Psychology at Ball State University. There, her Masters thesis examined social cognitive predictors of substance use and sexual risk behavior among emerging adults. Broadly, Kanila’s interests include understanding behavioral and mental health disparities, predominantly among Black people. More specifically, she is interested in understanding the cultural mechanisms of substance use trajectories among Black people across the lifespan and culturally responsive interventions. Her thesis used qualitative data to build a model of cannabis use among Black adolescents through a social-ecological framework. Her specialty proposed a framework of racialized drug socialization among Black people. Her dissertation will use qualitative methods to identify themes for how Black primary caregivers educate their kids ages 11-17 about drugs and alcohol. The purpose of her study is to reveal intergenerational strategies used by Black caregivers at the intersection of race and drug socialization of Black youth. Her findings will help inform how Black caregivers can educate to their kids about drugs and alcohol and will result in the facilitation of a series of community discussions with Black caregivers in the St. Louis region.
Presentation(s):
From Research to Practice: Diverse Approaches to Understanding and Addressing Substance Use