Adolescent civic engagement: Lessons from Black Lives Matter

COVID-19 Anti-Chinese Discrimination, Current Pandemic Stress, And Adolescents' Mental Health

The current study investigated adolescents' experiences of COVID-19 anti-Chinese discrimination (i.e., vicariously witnessed, directly experienced), the consequences for mental health, and the moderating role of general pandemic stress. During Summer 2020, 106 adolescents (43% Latino/a/x, 19% Asian American, 13% Black/African American, 26% biracial/multiracial/other; 58% female) participated in a 14-day daily diary study. Path analyses revealed that more experiences of vicarious COVID-19 anti-Chinese discrimination were associated with greater anxious mood, depressed mood, and mental health stress, while direct COVID-19 anti-Chinese discrimination was unrelated to mental health outcomes. The interaction between vicarious COVID-19 anti-Chinese discrimination and general COVID-19 stress was significant for depressed mood; simple slope analyses showed that for adolescents reporting high levels of COVID-19 stress, more frequent experiences of vicarious COVID-19 anti-Chinese discrimination were associated with greater severity in depressed mood, but this link was nonsignificant for those reporting low levels of general pandemic stress. Findings from the current study underscore the pernicious effects of vicarious COVID-19 anti-Chinese discrimination on the mental health of minoritized youth beyond solely Asian Americans. Additionally, the results evince the need for future pandemic-response efforts to craft public health messaging that avoids the racialization of disease and subsequent stigmatization of ethnic-minority communities.

Promoting Positive Development Among Racially and Ethnically Marginalized Youth: Advancing a Novel Model of Natural Mentoring

Racism and other forms of oppression threaten the well-being of racially and ethnically marginalized youth. Models of risk and resilience for marginalized youth have stressed the importance of addressing contextual and structural risk while emphasizing promotive factors such as cultural capital within their communities. Increasingly, research has focused on collective antiracist action as a form of coping with structural oppression. Importantly, supportive intergenerational relationships that develop within youths' everyday contexts may play a key role in catalyzing and reinforcing youths' engagement in antiracist action. This review advances a novel model for understanding how supportive nonparental adults from youths' everyday lives (i.e., natural mentors) influence youths' positive developmental outcomes and participation in antiracist action and how collective antiracist action, in turn, fosters liberation and racial justice. The creation of a more just and equitable society contributes to positive development among racially and ethnically marginalized youth.

Antiracism and positive intergenerational (infant) outcomes: A county-level examination of low birth weight and infant mortality

Racism is associated with negative intergenerational (infant) outcomes. That is, racism, both perceived and structural, is linked to critical, immediate, and long-term health factors such as low birth weight and infant mortality. Antiracism-resistance to racism such as support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement-has been linked to positive emotional, subjective, and mental health outcomes among adults and adolescents. To theoretically build on and integrate such past findings, the present research asked whether such advantageous health correlations might extend intergenerationally to infant outcomes? It examined a theoretical/correlational process model in which mental and physical health indicators might be indirectly related to associations between antiracism and infant health outcomes. Analyses assessed county-level data that measured BLM support (indexed as volume of BLM marches) and infant outcomes from 2014 to 2020. As predicted, in the tested model, BLM support was negatively correlated with 1) low birth weight (Ncounties = 1,445) and 2) mortalities (Ncounties = 409) among African American infants. Given salient, intergroup, policy debates tied to antiracism, the present research also examined associations among White Americans. In the tested model, BLM marches were not meaningfully related to rates of low birth weight among White American infants (Ncounties = 2,930). However, BLM support was negatively related to mortalities among White American infants (Ncounties = 862). Analyses controlled for structural indicators of income inequality, implicit/explicit bias, voting behavior, prior low birth weight/infant mortality rates, and demographic characteristics. Theory/applied implications of antiracism being linked to nonnegative and positive infant health associations tied to both marginalized and dominant social groups are discussed.

Daily ethnic-racial support from family and peers: Changes from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic

Limited research has investigated the changes in ethnic-racial support that adolescents received during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study collected 2-week, daily data from 185 Midwest U.S. ethnic-racial minority adolescents (14.60 years old; 52% female) at two waves, spanning about 1 year apart. For the Pandemic Cohort (936 days of data, 41 participants; 2019-2020), peer cultural socialization declined significantly from before to during the pandemic; family cultural socialization, as well as family and peer support against discrimination, became more positively associated with same-day ethnic-racial identity over the pandemic (β  = .13-.16). No significant changes emerged for the pre-Pandemic Cohort (3304 days of data, 144 participants; 2017-2019). Findings highlight the importance of ethnic-racial support during the pandemic when ethnic-racial issues were amplified in society.

COVID-19, the COVID-19 response, and racial injustice: Associations with depressive and anxiety symptoms among US adults from April 2020 to March 2021

Background

People in the United States have faced numerous large and intersecting threats to their mental health since the onset of the coronavirus disease pandemic. This study aimed to understand the unique relationships between these co-occurring threats - including the police killings of unarmed Black people and the fight for racial justice - and how they affect mental health symptoms among various demographic groups.

Methods

Data on population mental health, state-level COVID-19 incidence rates, cases of police-involved killings, and occurrences of racial justice protests were analyzed. The primary outcome was depression or anxiety symptoms. Regression models were used to estimate prospective associations between individual-, household-, and state-level exposures to hypothesized mental health threats and subsequent depression or anxiety symptoms.

Results

Data from 2,085,041 individual participants were included. Most were women (51.2%), and most were white, non-Hispanic (61.2%), with almost half (47.7%) reporting some loss of household income since March 13, 2020. Neither the killing of unarmed Black people by police, nor the above-average occurrence of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, were observed to be associated with anxiety or depressive symptoms in the overall population, though the BLM protests were associated with reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms among younger participants. State-level COVID-19 incidence risk was more strongly associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms among women, Black people, older people, and higher income people, compared to men, white people, younger people, and lower income people.

Conclusion

Our findings are relevant for anticipating and addressing the mental health consequences of social injustice and protest movements in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future pandemics. Promoting population mental health requires addressing underlying social and structural inequities and prioritizing the pursuit of social justice and health equity as a primary mental health intervention.

Racism hurts, can antiracism heal?: Positive mental health correlates of antiracist engagement

Racism can hurt by negatively impacting mental health. For instance, large-scale events tied to racism like the May 2020 police-involved murder of George Floyd have been linked to poor mental health indicators (e.g. depression and anxiety). Notably, racism can spark antiracist engagement-support for addressing systemic racism. For example, Floyd's murder sparked unprecedented antiracist engagement, including heightened Black Lives Matter (BLM) support and protest participation. The present research explored the potential that antiracist engagement can heal: be positively associated with well-being. First, study 1 found that state-level BLM engagement (i.e. protest numbers, antiracism information-seeking on Google/YouTube) during an 8-week period following Floyd's death was associated with positive mental health indicators (i.e. lower depression and anxiety, higher self-rated health). It found these effects among racial/ethnic minorities (e.g. Black/African Americans, Hispanics, N = 161,359) and Whites (N = 516,002). Then, study 2 examined social media data (i.e. tweets) and emotional well-being. It used a measure of happiness indexed across 144,649,285,571 tweets from 2019 through 2021. It found a positive correlation between the volume of tweets with antiracist engagement content (e.g. referenced efforts to address systemic racism) and the happiness measure. Finally, study 3 examined antiracism protest data/information-seeking and a sample of BLM tweets (N = 100,321) posted between April and July 2020. Conceptually replicating studies 1-2, study 3 found that antiracist engagement was associated with greater positive emotion/sentiment (e.g. happiness) relative to negative emotion/sentiment (e.g. anxiety). Relevant to theory and policy, the observed results suggest that antiracist engagement can be associated with benefits for well-being across racial/ethnic groups.

Gender differences in perceived racism threat and activism during the Black Lives Matter social justice movement for Black young adults

A longitudinal study involving 455 Black young adults living in Canada investigated whether gender and autonomous motivation influenced the relationship between perceived racism threat and Black Lives Matter (BLM) activism, and whether BLM activism influenced life satisfaction over time. A moderated mediation analysis using PROCESS Macro Model 58 tested the indirect effect of autonomous motivation on the relationship between perceived racism threat and BLM activism varying by gender. Multiple linear regression assessed how well BLM activism predicted life satisfaction. Black women perceived greater racism threat than Black men related to increases in BLM activism via the influence of autonomous motivation. BLM activism had a positive influence on life satisfaction over time, regardless of gender. This research suggests Black young women are playing pivotal roles in the BLM movement and helps us understand how motivation may be influencing involvement and well-being in social justice issues.

Youth civic development amid the pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, youth experienced abrupt closures of in-person spaces that were vital for their civic development, like schools and community organizations. Social media became the primary context for youth to make their voices heard and mobilize around important sociopolitical issues like anti-Asian racism, police violence, and elections. However, youth experienced civic development in different ways during the pandemic. Some youth gained a critical awareness of societal inequities, while others were radicalized into far-right ideologies. Racially minoritized youth experienced vicarious trauma and racism while civically engaging in 2020, and their civic development must be viewed in the context of the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and structural racism.

Youth advancing anti-racism in the 2020s

In this review, we highlight articles on youth anti-racist action undertaken alongside the COVID-19 pandemic. Three contexts for youth anti-racism development are reviewed: educational settings, out-of-school programs, and youth-led participatory action research. The burden and costs of these undertakings are substantial for youth (particularly racially and ethnically marginalized youth), and pandemic-related stressors have exacerbated the costs and toll of this work. Accordingly, the current review centers opportunities to better scaffold and support youth-led anti-racist action with a focus on systemic and programmatic supports including engaging youth in research as a vehicle for racial justice. We conclude with a call to action for adult activists, scholars, and allies committed to partnering with youth to envision and create a more equitable and just future as we collectively emerge from a global pandemic.

Pandemic-Related Changes in the Prevalence of Early Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use, 2020-2021: Data From a Multisite Cohort Study

PURPOSE

Evaluate changes in early adolescent substance use from May 2020 to May 2021 during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic using data from a prospective nationwide cohort: the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

METHODS

In 2018-2019, 9,270 youth aged 11.5-13.0 completed a prepandemic assessment of past-month alcohol and drug use, then up to seven during-pandemic assessments between May 2020 and May 2021. We compared the prevalence of substance use among same-age youth across these eight timepoints.

RESULTS

Pandemic-related decreases in the past-month prevalence of alcohol use were detectable in May 2020, grew larger over time, and remained substantial in May 2021 (0.3% vs. 3.2% prepandemic, p <.001). Pandemic-related increases in inhalant use (p = .04) and prescription drug misuse (p < .001) were detectable in May 2020, shrunk over time, and were smaller but still detectable in May 2021(0.1%-0.2% vs. 0% pre-pandemic). Pandemic-related increases in nicotine use were detectable between May 2020 and March 2021 and no longer significantly different from prepandemic levels in May 2021 (0.5% vs. 0.2% prepandemic, p = .09). There was significant heterogeneity in pandemic-related change in substance use at some timepoints, with increased rates among youth identified as Black or Hispanic or in lower-income families versus stable or decreased rates among youth identified as White or in higher-income families.

DISCUSSION

Among youth ages 11.5-13.0 years old, rates of alcohol use remained dramatically reduced in May 2021 relative to prepandemic and rates of prescription drug misuse and inhalant use remained modestly increased. Differences remained despite the partial restoration of prepandemic life, raising questions about whether youth who spent early adolescence under pandemic conditions may exhibit persistently different patterns of substance use.

Civic engagement, discrimination, and sleep health among youth of color

The purpose of the study was to investigate the moderating effect of discrimination experiences on the association between civic engagement and sleep in youth of color. Participants included 125 college students (Mage = 20.41, SD = 1.41, 22.6% cisgender male). Most of the sample (28%) identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin; 26% identified as multi-racial/ethnicity; 23% identified as Asian; 19% identified as Black or African American; and 4% identified as Middle Eastern or North African. Youth self-reported their civic engagement (civic activism and civic efficacy), discriminatory experiences, and sleep duration during the week of the 2016 United States presidential inauguration (T1) and again approximately 100 days later (T2). Civic efficacy was associated with longer sleep duration. In contexts of discrimination, however, more civic activism and efficacy was associated with less sleep duration. In contexts of low discrimination, more civic efficacy was associated with longer sleep duration. Thus, civic engagement within supportive contexts may contribute to positive sleep among youth of color. Working toward dismantling racist systems may be one way to combat the racial/ethnic sleep disparities that underlie long-term health inequalities.

Freedom dreaming to STEM: A conceptual model for Black youth's racial and STEM identity development through social media

Social media use has become increasingly enmeshed in the lives of youth. Although investigations in this area have tended to focus on risk (e.g., cyberbullying) and negative outcomes (e.g., in mental health and academic functioning), a growing body of literature suggests there may be positive developmental outcomes associated with Black youths' social media use. Social media may offer Black youth a means of resisting negative experiences, expand their opportunities to create and explore, and facilitate the integration of their racial and STEM identities. Aligned with PYD perspectives and PVEST, we suggest this dynamic process occurs iteratively within youth and bidirectionally between youth and their environment (online and offline) over the course of development. In this article, we present a conceptual model to guide future investigations to address gaps in the literature and elucidate the linkages between social media use, racial identity, and STEM identity among Black youth. We begin by reviewing two frameworks that provide the theoretical foundations for our model. We then discuss our outcomes of interest: racial identity and STEM identity. Given its rapidly evolving nature, we then proceed with a discussion about how social media may be operationalized, noting limitations in the current literature and highlighting the unique ways in which social media differs from offline contexts. Subsequently, we present our conceptual model, which we situate within distal, proximal, and individual offline influences. We also propose processes that may link social media use to positive identity outcomes. We conclude this article with recommendations for future investigations.

Are Children Harmed by Being Locked up at Home? The Impact of Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Phenomenon of Domestic Violence

The phenomenon of violence against children is a very complex one. There are many types of child abuse, and they are culturally dependent to a significant degree. Although studies show that children generally only suffer from mild COVID-19 infection, some social restrictions introduced during the pandemic, such as home isolation, may have many severe consequences on the population's mental health. Studies on this topic suggest that violence against children increased during lockdown due to the COVID-10 pandemic. This narrative review summarizes this available literature on the subject and discusses the different forms of violence against children, their cultural aspects, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the phenomenon of violence, the long-term consequences of the above, and forms of assistance for abused minors.

A practical guide for researchers and reviewers using the ABCD Study and other large longitudinal datasets

As the largest longitudinal study of adolescent brain development and behavior to date, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study® has provided immense opportunities for researchers across disciplines since its first data release in 2018. The size and scope of the study also present a number of hurdles, which range from becoming familiar with the study design and data structure to employing rigorous and reproducible analyses. The current paper is intended as a guide for researchers and reviewers working with ABCD data, highlighting the features of the data (and the strengths and limitations therein) as well as relevant analytical and methodological considerations. Additionally, we explore justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts as they pertain to the ABCD Study and other large-scale datasets. In doing so, we hope to increase both accessibility of the ABCD Study and transparency within the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience.

Every Day Matters: Using Daily Methods to Understand Oppression and BIPOC Youth Development in Context

There is an increasing use of daily methods (e.g., daily diaries, experience sampling method) by research investigating the roles of oppression, racism, and discrimination on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) youth adjustment. This commentary discusses several promising directions in which daily methods can help (1) understand adolescents' oppression-related experiences in everyday life, (2) investigate the immediate and long-term implications of these experiences, and (3) explore the role of protective processes and broader contexts. Moving forward, daily methods can be more broadly integrated into other methodologies (e.g., longitudinal designs, qualitative/mixed methods), providing unique insights into how systems of oppression become relevant in BIPOC adolescents' everyday life and informing practices to improve their adjustment on a daily basis and over the long term.

Psychometric Analysis of a Scale to Assess Social Participation of Chinese Adults

The Social Participation Scale (SPS) is a 17-item questionnaire to assess the social participation of Chinese adults. It was developed using a multimethod approach applying in-depth interviews, qualitative analysis and quantitative psychometric evaluation for construct, convergent validity and internal reliability. In-depth interviews and an expert review panel suggested content validity. Exploratory factor analysis, Confirmation factor analysis, and intercorrelation between dimensions supported construct validity. The SPS was positively correlated with a prosocial tendencies measure and negatively associated with a material values scale, contributing to convergent validity. Internal reliability was also high. These results suggest that SPS has sufficient reliability and validity for use in future research investigating social participation in China and other countries with a few civil organizations.