Online Racism and Mental Health Among Black American Adolescents in 2020

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.004

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Volume 62, Issue 1, January 2023, Pages 25-36.e8

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.004 Get rights and content

Objective

To determine whether rates of online racial discrimination changed over the course of 2020 and their longitudinal effects on Black youths’ mental health.

Method

This longitudinal study collected 18,454 daily assessments from a nationally representative sample of 602 Black and White adolescents in the United States (58% Black, 42% White; mean age = 15.09 years, SD = 1.56 years) across 58 days during the heightened racial tensions between March and November 2020.

Results

Black youths experienced increases in online racial discrimination, and these increases were not fully explained by time spent online or by general cybervictimization experiences. Online racial discrimination predicted poorer same-day and next-day mental health among Black youths but not among White youths. Black youths’ mental health did not predict their online racial discrimination experiences.

Conclusion

Online racial discrimination has implications for shaping mental health disparities that disadvantage Black youths relative to their White peers. Programs can be implemented to decrease online hate crimes, and health providers (eg, pediatricians, psychiatrists) should develop procedures that mitigate the negative mental health effects following online racial discrimination experiences.

Section snippets

Participants

Our study participants include a nationally representative sample of 602 self-identified Black and White adolescents (58% Black; 39% male; 71% qualified for free lunch; mean age =15.09 years, SD = 1.56 years, age range = 12−18 years). Given our interest in examining online racial discrimination experiences among Black adolescents, we used the White sample for descriptive purposes and exploratory comparisons with the Black sample. Thus, our analytic sample included 351 Black adolescents (40%

Descriptive Statistics

Table 1 presents descriptive statistics for online racial discrimination, alternative online experiences, and mental health symptoms. Across all 4 waves, 158 (45%) Black youths reported at least 1 instance of online racial discrimination. On average, Black youths experienced 2 incidents of online racial discrimination throughout the study period. The average count of online racial discrimination was stable between waves 1 and 2 [Δχ²(1) = 0.18, p = .67], increased between waves 2 and 3 [Δχ²(1) =

Discussion

The present study examined whether the rate of online racial discrimination changed over the course of the racial unrest in the United States from March to November 2020. Using a national sample, we found that Black adolescents reported increases in online racial discrimination during this time. In addition, Black youths who experienced online racial discrimination reported poorer same-day and next-day mental health.

One in 2 Black youths experienced at least 1 instance of online racism during

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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in adolescents’ increased exposure to daily experiences of risk factors for depression and anxiety (e.g., loneliness). Intensive longitudinal studies examining daily experiences during the pandemic have revealed short-term and long-term consequences on youth mental health. Although evidence suggests small average increases in adolescent depression and anxiety, most of the story is in variability: increases are higher for youth and families with greater pre-existing mental health vulnerabilities and fewer socioeconomic resources, whereas increases are lower when social or financial support and positive coping and health behaviors are available and employed. Public health and economic policies should be mindful of youth mental health risks and actively promote known mental health supports, including family economic resources, access to mental healthcare, and social connection.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. youth faced various stressors that affected their schooling experiences, social relationships, family dynamics, and communities. These stressors negatively impacted youths' mental health. Compared to White youths, ethnic-racial minority youths were disproportionately affected by COVID-19-related health disparities and experienced elevated worry and stress. In particular, Black and Asian American youths faced the compounded effects of a dual pandemic due to their navigation of both COVID-19-related stressors and increased exposure to racial discrimination and racial injustice, which worsened their mental health outcomes. However, protective processes such as social support, ethnic-racial identity, and ethnic-racial socialization emerged as mechanisms that attenuated the effects of COVID-related stressors on ethnic-racial youths’ mental health and promoted their positive adaptation and psychosocial well-being.
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: This research was supported by Grants 1315943 and 1561382 from the National Science Foundation to Dr. Wang, Grant 201600067 from the Spencer Foundation to Dr. Wang, and Grant 202100287 from the Spencer Foundation to Dr. Del Toro.

: This article is part of a special series devoted to addressing bias, bigotry, racism, and mental health disparities through research, practice, and policy. The series is edited by Assistant Editor Eraka Bath, MD, Deputy Editor Wanjikũ F.M. Njoroge, Associate Editor Robert R. Althoff, MD, PhD, and Editor-in-Chief Douglas K. Novins, MD.

: Drs. Del Toro and Wang served as the statistical experts for this research.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization: Del Toro

Data curation: Wang

Formal analysis: Del Toro, Wang

Funding acquisition: Wang

Methodology: Wang

Software: Del Toro

Supervision: Wang

Writing – original draft: Del Toro

Writing – review & editing: Del Toro, Wang

: Disclosure: Drs. Del Toro and Wang have reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

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New ResearchRace & DisparitiesOnline Racism and Mental Health Among Black American Adolescents in 2020

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusion

Section snippets

Participants

Descriptive Statistics

Discussion

Soc Sci Med

Psychiatry Res

Lancet Psychiatry

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Psychoneuroendocrinology

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Soc Sci Med 1982

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Racist Zoombombing

Social networks and the challenge of hate disguised as fear and politics

J Deradicalization

PNAS and prejudice

Proc Natl Acad Sci

A phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST): a self-organization perspective in context

Dev Psychopathol

An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children

Child Dev

Measuring Racial Discrimination

Defining, conceptualizing and characterizing racism in health research

Crit Public Health

Racism as a stressor for African Americans: a biopsychosocial model

Am Psychol

Conceptualizing stigma

Annu Rev Sociol

Addressing the “myth” of racial trauma: developmental and ecological considerations for youth of color

Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev

Racial/ethnic discrimination and well-being during adolescence: a meta-analytic review

Am Psychol

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on Internet use and escapism in adolescents

Rev Psicol Clínica Con Niños Adolesc

An unwelcomed digital visitor in the classroom: the longitudinal impact of online racial discrimination on academic motivation

Sch Psychol Rev

The development and validation of the Online Victimization Scale for adolescents

Cyberpsychology

Many Black and Asian Americans say they have experienced discrimination amid the COVID-19 outbreak

Experiences of living with mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a coproduced, participatory qualitative interview study

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. Published online

Trajectories of online racial discrimination and psychological functioning among African American and Latino adolescents

Child Dev

New Research
Race & Disparities
Online Racism and Mental Health Among Black American Adolescents in 2020