Dr. Donte Bernard’s program of research examines the direct and indirect pathways by which racism compromises the mental and behavioral health and well-being of Black children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Anchored by cultural ecological models recognizing the importance of risk and resilience at the individual and contextual level, his research leverages both quantitative and qualitative methods to identify how Black youth identify, cope with, and navigate racism-related experiences across sensitive developmental periods. Ultimately, the goal of his research is to eliminate racial disparities in mental and behavioral health through informing policy and intervention development targeting the reduction of racism and its related health consequences.
Areas of Expertise:
- Black youth and family mental health
- Racism-related stress and trauma
- Racialization of impostor phenomenon
- Racial-ethnic protective factors (racial identity, racial socialization)
- Racism-related coping mechanisms
Dr. Donte Bernard is a licensed clinical psychologists and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri. He earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a child and family emphasis at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed an APA accredited internship at the University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development. Following his doctoral training, Dr. Bernard completed a NIMH-funded T-32 Postdoctoral Fellowship, specializing in traumatic stress, at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.
- Bernard, D. L., Gaskin-Wasson, A. L., Jones, S. C., Lee, D. B., Neal, A. J., Sosoo, E. E., ... & Neblett Jr, E. W. (2023). Diversifying clinical child and adolescent psychology: A change gonna come. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 52(3), 396-410. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2023.2191284
- Bernard, D.L., López, C. M., Banks, D.E., Hahn, A.M., & Danielson, C. (2023). Developmental differences in the impact of racial discrimination on depression and anxiety among Black youth: Examining rumination as a mechanism. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 93(4), 293–303. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000679
- Bernard, D.L., Smith, Q., Lanier. P. J. (2022). Racial discrimination and other adverse childhood experiences as risk factors for internalizing mental health concerns among Black youth. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 35(2), 473-483. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22760
- Bernard, D.L., Calhoun, C. D., Banks, D.E., Halliday, C. A., Hughes-Halbert, C., & Danielson, C. K. (2021). Making the “C-ACE” for a culturally-informed adverse childhood experiences framework to understand the pervasive mental health impact of racism on Black youth. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 14(2), 233-247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-020-00319-9
- Bernard, D. L., Jones, S. C.T., Volpe, V.V. (2020). Impostor phenomenon and psychological well-being: The moderating roles of John Henryism and racial composition of college campus. Journal of Black Psychology, 46(2-3), 195-227. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0095798420924529
- Bernard, D. L., Hoggard, L. S., & Neblett, E. W., Jr. (2018). Racial discrimination, racial identity, and impostor phenomenon: A profile approach. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(1), 51-61. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cdp0000161
- Cokley, K., Smith, L., Bernard, D. L., Hurst, A., Jackson, S., Stone, S., Awosogba, O, Saucer, C., Bailey, M., Roberts, D., (2017). Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among ethnic minority college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(2), 141–154. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cou0000198