Discrimination and Mental Health in a Representative Sample of African-American and Afro-Caribbean Youth

Background Racism and discrimination are psychosocial stressors that affect the health of minority populations. While discrimination has been associated with poor mental health, little is known about the relationship between discrimination and mental health outcomes in youth nationally. Furthermore, mental and behavioral health consequences of discrimination may differ in different minority groups. Objective The goal of this study is to determine (1) how common perceptions of discrimination are in a nationally representative sample of African-American (AA) and Afro-Caribbean (AC) teens, (2) the relationship between discrimination and mental health conditions, and (3) whether discrimination has different associations with mental health in AA and AC youth. Design Cross-sectional comparison study Setting National Survey of American Life-Adolescent Supplement, a nationwide sample of African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth drawn from a nationally representative household survey of AA and AC population Participants One thousand, one hundred and seventy AA and AC youth between 13 and 17 years Exposure Experiences with discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale) Main Outcomes Lifetime and past 12-month major depression and anxiety Results Ninety percent of AA and 87% of AC youth experienced discrimination. Discrimination was significantly associated with lifetime and 12-month major depression and lifetime and 12-month anxiety. There were no differences in the associations between discrimination and mental health between AA and AC youth except for lifetime anxiety: as discrimination increased, the likelihood of lifetime anxiety disorder increased at a higher rate among AC youth compared to AA. Conclusions Discrimination is a common psychosocial stressor in African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth. It is associated with poor mental health outcomes. There was no difference in the occurrence of discrimination between African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth or in its mental health consequences.