Mental Health and Educational Experiences Among Black Youth: A Latent Class Analysis (original) (raw)
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Factors that contribute to the mental health of Black youth
Canadian Medical Association Journal
In the 2016 Census, an estimated 1.2 million people in Canada reported being Black. 1 Abundant evidence suggests that Black people are uniquely vulnerable to numerous risk factors linked to mental health and wellness. 2-4 In Canada, more than half of Black people are first-generation immigrants, of whom 40% came to Canada under the economic immigration program and 30% came as refugees. 4,5 The Black population is younger than the general population (median age 29.6 yr v. 40.7 yr). 1 Alberta has the fastest growing population of Black people in Canada, with a fivefold increase between 1996 and 2016. 1 Addressing the health of Black youth in Alberta is important to achieving health equity and improving population health outcomes in Canada. Beyond resettlement challenges, a risk factor that threatens the health outcomes of Black people is racism and discrimination. 6,7 Black Canadians report worse overall self-rated health than white and self-identified biracial Canadians. 8 For Black youth in the United States, repeated exposure to racial discrimination is associated with subsequent coping challenges and poor mental health; 9 86% report at least 1 experience of racism in their lifetime. 10 This work suggests that racial discrimination accounts for increased levels of mental health conditions such as major depression and anxiety disorders. Although some studies have reported the effects of racism in the American context, similar research in Canada is limited, especially among Black youth. 11 We sought to capture the perspectives of Black youth in Alberta regarding factors that contribute to their mental health. Methods Study design and setting We used a community based participatory action research design. Community-based participatory action research requires knowledge of the community, which forms the basis for research and planning through an iterative process of field work, data collection, reflection and action. 12 It involves the co-creation of knowledge, developing a sense of community and mobilizing for social change. 13 Community engagement All but 1 of the initial research team members were Black African immigrants, motivated by the health challenges and desire to build capacity for mental health promotion among Black youth. Before study outset, we met with youth who identified a need to focus on their mental health; they were subsequently engaged in Research Mental health CPD
A dual‐factor model of mental health: Toward a more comprehensive understanding of youth functioning
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2010
Traditional mental health models focus on psychological problems and distress; accordingly, health is viewed as the absence of illness or disability. In contrast, a dual-factor model of mental health incorporates both indicators of positive subjective well-being (SWB) and measures of psychopathological symptoms to comprehensively determine an individual's psychological adjustment. This study used such a dual-factor model to measure the mental health status of young adolescents. A total of 764 middle school students were classified into one of four distinct groups based on having high or low psychopathology and high or low SWB. Furthermore, group differences in student engagement, academic achievement, and environmental support for learning were investigated. Results demonstrated the existence of a traditionally neglected group of adolescents (low SWB and low psychopathology) who are nonetheless at risk for academic and behavior problems in school and who performed no better than the most troubled group of adolescents. Overall, both the presence of positive well-being and the absence of symptoms were necessary for ensuring the most advantageous school performance. These results highlight the importance of incorporating positive indicators of well-being along with traditional negative factors in more fully understanding relationships between individuals' mental health and educational outcomes.
Conceptualizing High School Students' Mental Health Through a Dual-Factor Model
School Psychology Review, 2016
Mental health is increasingly viewed as a complete state of being, consisting of the absence of psychopathology and the presence of positive factors such as subjective well-being (SWB). This cross-sectional study analyzed multimethod and multisource data for 500 high school students (ages 14-18 years, M ϭ 15.27 years, SD ϭ 1.0 years) to examine how mental health, defined in a dual-factor model, relates to adjustment. Relevant outcomes within self-determination theory include academic adjustment, social adjustment, identity development, and physical health. A dualfactor model was supported through identification of four groups: complete mental health (62.2% of sample), vulnerable (11.4%), symptomatic but content (11.4%), and troubled (15%). Results extend the importance of high SWB to optimal functioning during middle adolescence, as students with complete mental health (high SWB, low psychopathology) reported better outcomes than vulnerable students (low SWB despite low psychopathology) in terms of academic attitudes, perceptions of overall physical health, social support and satisfaction with romantic relationships, and identity development. Among students with elevated psychopathology, those with high SWB (symptomatic-but-content group) reported greater academic self-perceptions, perceived physical health, social support and satisfaction with romantic relationships (as well as less peer victimization), and identity development than their peers with low SWB (troubled group). Main effects of SWB in multilevel models that controlled for psychopathology and demographic covariates further illustrate the additive value of SWB in mental health assessments in terms of explaining unique variance in student adjustment in all four domains examined.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2021
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SUbjective Well-Being in Urban Adolescents of Color
Relationships among predictors and criteria of subjective well-being were examined in a sample of 151 urban adolescents of color, ages 12-15. The relative strengths of family, peer, and school-related support and esteem in predicting three measures of subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) were explored. Results suggested that sense of worth in one's family explained a significant amount of variance in subjective well-being variables, above and beyond the contributions of individual, school, and peer-related variables. Implications for prevention and mental health promotion with urban adolescents of color are discussed based on these findings.
Journal of Black Psychology, 2003
With the recent increase in empirical studies investigating depression among urban African American youth comes the need to refine and integrate theoretical perspectives that address culture-specific etiologic mechanisms and developmental trajectories. The purpose of this article is to review four theories of depression relevant to the study of African American adolescents and to offer suggestions for the integration of theories to enhance the culturally relevant design of empirical investigations. It is argued that all four theories-socioecologic, cognitive, family stress, and biopsychosocial-center on the role of oppression in the development of urban Black youth and that an integrated theory would assume this underlying construct as its core focus. A macrotheoretical model synthesizing the four theories is presented, with oppression identified as the key catalyst in the chain of factors that might ultimately lead to adolescent depression. Implications for further theory development and empirical research on adolescent depression are discussed.
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2002
The purpose of this study is to better understand the implications for using self-reported grade point average (GPA) versus school-record GPA in academic achievement research. First, we found that nearly half the youths interviewed overreported their GPAs by at least 2 half grades. Second, youth who overreported their GPAs also reported less psychological distress, more successhl academic beliefs, and fewer problem behaviors. Third, we found that self-reported GPA was associated with all 3 sets of variables, but school-record GPA was associated with only problem behaviors. The findings suggest that it may be useful for researchers to consider how different measures of GPA may influence their results. Scholastic grade-point average (GPA) is one of the most frequently used measures in academic achievement research. It also has been found to be associated consistently with numerous psychosocial outcomes, such as academic beliefs, psychological distress, and problem behaviors among adolescents (Barber &
Psychometric Properties of the CES-D Among Black Adolescents in Public Housing
Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 2017
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) has not been fully validated as a depression screening scale among Black adolescents. This study examines the psychometric properties of the CES-D as applied to Black adolescents, seeking to understand the unique way in which Black adolescents express their depression symptoms. Method: We hypothesized that the expression and factor structure of depressive symptoms measured by CES-D would be different when applied to Black adolescents. Black adolescents (N 5 782) ages 11-21 were recruited from 9 urban public housing developments in 4 large U.S. cities. Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used to compare the fit of competing models. Convergent validity of the CES-D was examined via associations with gender, age, and suicidal ideation in the ESEM model. Results: Instead of the original 4-factor structure of the CES-D, a 2-factor ESEM model demonstrated satisfactory fit to our data (CFI 5 0.95, TLI 5 0.93, RMSEA 5 0.04). Compared with females, Black males were less likely to endorse positive affect items of the CES-D (r 5 20.13, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Conceptualizations of depression among Black adolescents may differ from any other populations previously studied. Clinicians should assess the unique expression of depression among Black youth when developing treatment plans.
Social Integration and the Mental Health of Black Adolescents
Child Development, 2013
The influence of family, school, and religious social contexts on the mental health of Black adolescents has been understudied. This study used Durkheim's social integration theory to examine these associations in a nationally representative sample of 1,170 Black adolescents, ages 13-17. Mental health was represented by positive and negative psychosocial well-being indicators. Results showed that adolescents' integration into family and school were related to better mental health. In addition, commitment to religious involvement positively influenced mental health. Although the direct effect of religious involvement was inversely related to mental health, mediation analyses revealed a positive influence through religious commitment. Findings suggest a greater emphasis on all three social contexts when designing strategies to improve the mental health of Black adolescents.
Journal of youth and adolescence, 2003
Few researchers have studied trajectories of stress over time in relation to psychosocial outcomes and behaviors among adolescents. A sample of African American adolescents were assessed longitudinally on perceived stress, psychological well-being, support, antisocial behaviors, and academic success. Patterns of stress over 4 time points were developed using a cluster-analytic approach. Differences among the trajectory clusters were examined using psychosocial outcomes and behaviors. Adolescents with chronic levels of stress reported more anxiety and depression, engaged in antisocial behaviors, and reported less active coping than youth in other trajectories. Adolescents with low levels of stress over time reported fewer psychological problems, perceived more social support, and were more likely to graduate from high school than those with higher stress levels over time. We also found that an increase in stress coincided with a lack of support and more psychological problems over time.