Aashir Nasim

Associate professor of psychology and African American studies

Contact information

Phone: (804) 828-4904
E-mail: anasim@vcu.edu

Education

Ph.D. (2001) Howard University

Program affiliation

Developmental Psychology

Research interests

My research centers on the social epidemiology of substance use and abuse among African Americans.  A central research aim has been to determine how certain theoretical and methodological conceptualizations of resilience contribute to our understanding of the onset and progression of substance use behaviors from childhood to adulthood in African Americans.  Following from this aim have been two primary research objectives which are to distinguish between the promotive and protective effects of sociocultural factors on adolescent substance use; and, to better understand the functionality of protective factors in buffering risks for substance use and abuse.  At present, I am funded by the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF) to examine the impact of risk factors on the progression of substance use (specifically, tobacco use) during school transitions in elementary, middle, and high school.

Selected publications

Nasim, A., Belgrave, F. Z., Corona, R., & Townsend, T. G. (In press). Predictors of alcohol and tobacco refusal efficacy among rural and urban African American adolescents.  Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse.

Fernander, A. F., Schumacher, M., & Nasim, A. (2008). Sociocultural stress, smoking risk, and quitting among African American women.  Journal of Black Psychology, 34(1), 49-69.

Belgrave, F. Z., Clark, T., & Nasim, A. (2008). Drug use and abuse among African American youth.  In H. Neville, B. Tynes, & S. Utsey (Eds.) Handbook of African American psychology.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Nasim, A., Belgrave, F. Z., Jagers, R., Wilson, K. D., & Owens, K. (2007). The moderating effects of culture on peer deviance and alcohol use among high-risk African American adolescents.  Journal of Drug Education, 37(3), 327-355.

Nasim, A., Corona, R., Belgrave, F. Z., Utsey, S. O., & Fallah, N. (2007). Cultural orientation as a protective factor against smoking among African American young women.  Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 36(4), 503-516.

More publications [PDF]

Recent/current courses taught at VCU

• Introduction to African American studies, undergraduate
• Modes of inquiry in African American studies, undergraduate