"Melanincholy": A Qualitative Exploration of Youth Media Use, Vicarious Racism, and Perceptions of Health.

Purpose: We sought to (1) characterize teens' experiences with news and social media, focusing on news depicting racism, (2) assess youth perceptions of how these experiences may impact their own health, and (3) explore how teens cope with racism encountered in media. We hypothesized that teens access news primarily through social media, and vicarious racism experienced via news increases negative perceptions of health.

Methods: Eighteen teens (aged 13-19 years) were recruited to participate in focus group interviews (N = 4).