Cumulative experiences of racism and mental health outcomes in Colorado minority adolescents

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death for adolescents. Research has demonstrated that experiencing racism can disrupt adolescent development and negatively impact mental health, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities. Aims: We examined how the cumulative impact of multiple experiences of racism was associated with mental health outcomes including depressive symptoms and suicide ideation among high school adolescents who identified within a racial or ethnic minority group. Methods: = 49,989). We estimated the weighted prevalence of the five individual racism experiences and four mental health outcomes by race and ethnicity. Finally, we conducted a series of weighted adjusted multivariable logistic regression models stratified by three racial and ethnic minority groups (Asian American, Black/African American, and Hispanic/Latinx), to assess the associations between the cumulative experiences of racism and the mental health outcomes. Results: Across the three racial and ethnic groups, Asian American adolescents reported the highest likelihood of considering suicide and attempting suicide (aOR: 7.8; 95% CI: 2.7, 22.5), Black/African American adolescents reported significantly more robust association with depressive symptoms (aOR: 4.1, 95% CI: 2.1, 8.1), and Hispanic/Latinx adolescents reported significantly more robust association with making a suicide plan (aOR: 4.9, 95% CI: 3.3, 7.4). Conclusion: Our findings showed that among Asian, Black, and Hispanic Colorado high schoolers with three or more experiences of racism had significantly higher odds of reporting poor mental health, highlighting the need for school and community efforts to implement anti-racism policies and interventions

Ethnic group · Logistic regression · Mental health · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Racism · Suicidal ideation · Suicide prevention · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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