Limitations
This study has some limitations. First, this is a post hoc, rather than preplanned, analysis of trial data. Because the sample consisted of Black adolescents from rural areas of Georgia, the generalizability of study findings to other settings is unknown. The use of a no treatment control group (rather than an attention control) does not permit ruling out nonspecific intervention factors (such as social support) as potential explanations for study findings. Due to the study’s focus on individual level racial discrimination, the potential for SAAF to buffer the effects of structural and institutional forms of racism that we did not measure is unknown. Future research examining processes and interventions that buffer youth mental health from these forms of racism is needed.