About

Vanessa V. Volpe is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at NC State University, with a focus on applied health psychology and health equity. Her research primarily investigates how race-related stress and other intersectional forms of oppression impact health outcomes among Black communities across the African diaspora in the United States. She emphasizes the role of online, technological, and structural contexts and processes during late adolescence and young adulthood, exploring how these environments influence health and empowerment. Dr. Volpe employs a diverse set of methodologies, including laboratory-based physiological studies, community-engaged research, and mixed methods approaches, to answer questions related to health disparities, stress, coping, and protective factors. Her work aims to understand the complex and dynamic ways that race- and gendered-race experiences in online and technological environments pose challenges to health while also offering opportunities for liberation. She has received several honors and awards, including the NIH Matilda White Riley Early-Stage Investigator Award, and is actively involved in research that addresses racial health disparities and health inequities.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Social psychology
• Gender studies
• Developmental psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Psychotherapist

Selected publications

• Online racism and substance use in Asian American/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian and Black American emerging adults

  Figshare · 2026-03-25

  articleOpen access

  <i>Background:</i> Emerging research suggests online racial discrimination may be related to alcohol use and smoking, though more studies are needed to clarify the associations in diverse populations. <i>Objectives:</i> To explore the associations between online racism and hazardous drinking, smoking status, and co-use among Black, Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI), and Multiracial “Generation Z” emerging adults. <i>Methods:</i> Emerging adults (2,801 Black American AANHPI and Multiracial; 49.3% female) were recruited via online quota-based sampling. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the association between online racism and substance use, adjusting for frequency of social media use, total internet use, and sociodemographic covariates. The Karlson – Holm – Breen method was used to examine the role of depression and anxiety. <i>Results:</i> Among Black emerging adults, online racism was associated with greater odds of substance use (OR = 1.04, <i>p</i> &lt; .001) and current smoking (OR = 1.04, <i>p</i> = .001). A similar pattern emerged for AANHPI (hazardous drinking: OR = 1.05, <i>p</i> &lt; .001), current smoking (OR = 1.06, <i>p</i> &lt; .001), and co-use (OR = 1.07, <i>p</i> &lt; .001), and multiracial (current smoking: OR = 1.06, <i>p</i> = .014; and co-use OR = 1.07, <i>p</i> = .003). Anxiety had more pronounced mediating associations for Black emerging adults, while depression had more pronounced mediating effects for AANHPI and multiracial emerging adults. <i>Conclusion:</i> The widespread and chronic nature of online racism may in aggregate negatively impact substance use at the population level. Addressing online racism may require coordinated action, with future directions including the development of accountability strategies, coping interventions, and affirming digital spaces.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring the link between internalized weight stigma and meal skipping behavior in Black young adult women: A brief report

  Journal of Health Psychology · 2026-03-23

  articleSenior author

  Meal skipping is an unhealthy eating behavior that has consequences for Black young adult women's weight management and nutritional health. The societal scrutiny of Black women's weight, including negative attitudes and beliefs about body size, may lead to internalizing these thoughts (i.e. internalized weight stigma). This internalization has been implicated in a variety of unhealthy behaviors (i.e. meal skipping). We used cross-sectional online survey data from a 2021 investigation of 504 Black young adult women (18-35 years old; 98.4% cisgender) to test the association between internalized weight stigma and meal skipping. We ran a binary logistic regression controlling for eating disorder diagnosis and weight status, indicating that more internalized weight stigma was associated with increased odds of skipping "breakfast," "lunch," and "dinner." Our findings have implications for weight management and health education programs, as internalizations of negative weight-related rhetoric can hinder interventions targeting such behaviors for Black young adult women.

  PublisherDOI

• Online racism, online mental health engagement, depression, and suicide risk among Asian American and Pacific Islander and Black American emerging adults

  Frontiers in Public Health · 2026-02-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Introduction: Recent studies suggest that exposure to racist online interactions and content may be associated with depressive symptoms and suicide risk among racially minoritized individuals. Despite the hate and violence easily encountered online, individuals use social media platforms to engage with their mental health concerns and seek support. Hence, the current study aimed to explore whether online mental health engagement would buffer the depressive symptoms and suicide risk associated with online racism among Black and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) emerging adults (18-29) who are exposed to anti-Black and anti-Asian hate online. Method: = 3.29) emerging adults, we conducted latent moderated structural equation modeling to examine online mental health engagement as a moderator between online racism and depressive symptoms, and online racism and suicide outcomes [suicide ideation in the past 2 weeks, lifetime suicide ideation, past-year suicide ideation, lifetime suicide attempt, past-year suicide attempt, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)]. Results: For both groups, online mental health engagement associated with a stronger link between online racism and suicide-related risk. For AAPI emerging adults, higher levels of engagement significantly amplified the association between online racism and suicidal ideation (recent and lifetime), suicide attempts (lifetime), NSSI, and depressive symptoms. For Black emerging adults, this risk-exacerbating finding was observed only for recent suicidal ideation. Discussion: The findings highlight the suicide risk that may be associated with online racism and concerns regarding the helpfulness of online mental health engagement.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Online racism and substance use in Asian American/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian and Black American emerging adults

  The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse · 2026-03-25

  article

  The widespread and chronic nature of online racism may in aggregate negatively impact substance use at the population level. Addressing online racism may require coordinated action, with future directions including the development of accountability strategies, coping interventions, and affirming digital spaces.

  PublisherDOI

• Online racism and substance use in Asian American/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian and Black American emerging adults

  Figshare · 2026-03-25

  articleOpen access

  <i>Background:</i> Emerging research suggests online racial discrimination may be related to alcohol use and smoking, though more studies are needed to clarify the associations in diverse populations. <i>Objectives:</i> To explore the associations between online racism and hazardous drinking, smoking status, and co-use among Black, Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI), and Multiracial “Generation Z” emerging adults. <i>Methods:</i> Emerging adults (2,801 Black American AANHPI and Multiracial; 49.3% female) were recruited via online quota-based sampling. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the association between online racism and substance use, adjusting for frequency of social media use, total internet use, and sociodemographic covariates. The Karlson – Holm – Breen method was used to examine the role of depression and anxiety. <i>Results:</i> Among Black emerging adults, online racism was associated with greater odds of substance use (OR = 1.04, <i>p</i> &lt; .001) and current smoking (OR = 1.04, <i>p</i> = .001). A similar pattern emerged for AANHPI (hazardous drinking: OR = 1.05, <i>p</i> &lt; .001), current smoking (OR = 1.06, <i>p</i> &lt; .001), and co-use (OR = 1.07, <i>p</i> &lt; .001), and multiracial (current smoking: OR = 1.06, <i>p</i> = .014; and co-use OR = 1.07, <i>p</i> = .003). Anxiety had more pronounced mediating associations for Black emerging adults, while depression had more pronounced mediating effects for AANHPI and multiracial emerging adults. <i>Conclusion:</i> The widespread and chronic nature of online racism may in aggregate negatively impact substance use at the population level. Addressing online racism may require coordinated action, with future directions including the development of accountability strategies, coping interventions, and affirming digital spaces.

  PublisherDOI

• Through the Lens of the Target: The Role of Stress Appraisal in the Link Between Online Racism and Negative Mental Health

  Journal of Interpersonal Violence · 2026-02-23 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Although there are approaches (e.g., psychological measures) to capture how people encounter online racism experiences, there is limited work on how the actual impact of online racism is felt or deemed relevant. Notably, in assessing the impact of online racism on negative mental health, it may be important to account for the degree to which people find their racist online interactions and exposure to racist online content stressful. Using data from 958 racially/ethnically minoritized adults ( M age = 27.41), we conducted moderation analyses to examine if the association between online racism and mental health was moderated by stress appraisals of racist online interactions and exposure to racist online content. Online racism was significantly associated with worse mental health. Both stress appraisals of racist online interactions and exposure to racist online content were significant moderators. Negative mental health associated with online racism was exacerbated among those who appraised their exposure to online racism as more stressful. When the stressfulness was appraised to be low, the association between online racism and negative mental health was not significant. These findings inform future research focused on mechanisms that could differentiate why certain individuals are more at risk of being impacted by online racism experiences.

  PublisherDOI

• Anti-Black Structural Racism Goes Online: A Conceptual Model for Racial Health Disparities Research.

  UNC Libraries · 2025-06-06

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Anti-Black racism is an established social determinant of racial health disparities in the United States. Although the majority of research on racism examines in-person individual-level experiences, a majority of Americans engage online and may therefore be exposed to racism directly or indirectly in online contexts. Research suggests that the structural technological features of online contexts may be especially powerful in perpetuating and enacting racism, often in inconspicuous or automated ways. However, there is a paucity of literature that articulates how structural online racism may be an important catalyst for racial health disparities, despite emerging evidence of racism embedded in our technological infrastructures. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to articulate the basis for investigating online racism as a form of structural racism with growing implications for racial health disparities in the digital age. We first define the structural features of online settings that generate and reinforce inequities among racial groups in the United States. Next, we propose a conceptual model detailing potential mechanisms through which structural online racism may translate into racial health disparities. Finally, we discuss ways in which exposures to online racism could be measured in order to capture their structural nature. Implications and future directions for research on online racism as a form of structural racism and corresponding policy for the reduction of racial health disparities are highlighted.

  PublisherDOI

• Sociodemographic risk, parenting, and executive functions in early childhood: The role of ethnicity

  UNC Libraries · 2025-09-18

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Everyday discrimination frequency, intersectional attributions, and C-reactive Protein for Black midlife women who experience discrimination

  Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025-11-04 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Discrimination is a chronic psychosocial stressor that elevates the inflammation response. If chronically activated, this elevation may contribute to health risks such as cardiovascular disease and obesity among Black women, who disproportionately experience discrimination at the intersection of racism and sexism. We used cross-sectional data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation to examine how both discrimination frequency and discrimination attributions (single gender, single race, or the intersection of gender and race) relate to levels of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) among Black midlife women (n= 209, M age = 52.67). Midlife represents a critical period for the emergence of cardiometabolic disease, making it an important developmental stage for understanding how discrimination shapes inflammation and health. Participants reported experiencing relatively frequent discrimination during one visit of the study. CRP levels were assayed from blood samples. Using the Detroit Area Study Everyday Discrimination Scale, women reported the frequency with which they experienced discrimination and selected all attributions for that experience from a list of potential social identity statuses. From these responses, we derived single-race, single-gender, and intersectional race-and-gender attribution categories. Linear regression analyses revealed that discrimination frequency was not significantly associated with CRP ( p =.424). There was no difference in CRP levels between those who made a single race attribution and those who made an intersectional attribution. Black women who made a single attribution to gender had higher CRP levels compared to those who made an intersectional attribution ( β =.14, 95% CI [.21, 7.01], p =.038). Attributions of discrimination to gender but not, at least in some part, to race may increase health risks for Black midlife women if inflammation is chronically elevated. More research on the content of intersectional attributions of discrimination, above and beyond the frequency of exposure, is needed. • Most Black midlife women reported intersectional gendered racial discrimination. • The frequency of discrimination was not associated with C-reactive protein. • Black women who attributed discrimination to gender had higher C-reactive protein.

  PublisherDOI

• Ethnic identity in Arab Americans: gender, religious upbringing, and age differences

  UNC Libraries · 2025-04-30

  articleOpen access

  Arab Americans constitute a diverse, sizeable ethnic minority in the United States. However, limited research has examined the content of Arab American ethnic identity and whether this ethnic identity differs by demographic factors. In the present study, we developed measures of Arab American ethnic identity and cultural practice, and assessed differences in those variables by gender, religious affiliation (Muslim, Christian), and age. Arab American adults recruited online from Amazon Mechanical Turk (<em>N</em> = 391) completed an adaptation of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity and a measure of cultural practice that was created for this study based on pre-existing scales. Items loaded onto dimensions of identity (ethnic centrality, private regard, public regard), and subscales showed invariance across gender and religious upbringing. When examining group differences in ethnic identity, we found that attitudes regarding being Arab American varied by gender, such that Arab American women reported higher private regard and lower public regard than men. In turn, participants raised in Muslim households reported higher ethnic centrality and cultural practice than those raised in Christian households, potentially related to Muslims' status as a religious minority in the United Status. Finally, young adults were lower in centrality and private regard than older adults, suggesting either that ethnic identity may develop into adulthood or that young adults' ethnic identity may be influenced by growing up in American society post-9/11. Taken together, findings illustrate the heterogeneity in the ethnic identity of Arab Americans; further research is needed to understand individual differences in Arab Americans' ethnic identity.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Steven J. Holochwost

  City University of New York

  32 shared

• Cathi B. Propper

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  29 shared

• W. Roger Mills‐Koonce

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  28 shared

• Abbey N. Collins

  North Carolina State University

  27 shared

• Sara R. Jaffee

  26 shared

• Eleanor D. Brown

  West Chester University

  25 shared

• Lilly Shanahan

  Youth Development

  10 shared

• G. Perusi Benson

  10 shared

Labs

• Black Health LabPI

Awards & honors

• NIH Matilda White Riley Early-Stage Investigator Paper Compe…
• University Scholar, NC State
• Outstanding Junior Faculty, CHASS, NC State
• Early Career Professional Award, Cardiovascular Disease SIG,…
• Michigan Integrative Well-Being and Inequality (MIWI) Traini…