title: The effects of racial heterogeneity on mental health: A study of detained youth across multiple counties.
abstract: A majority of detained adolescents experience mental health and substance use problems. Limited research has examined the interaction between the race/ethnicity of an individual youth and county-level racial heterogeneity on adolescent mental health outcomes. Participants were identified through a statewide mental health screening project that took place in detention centers across 11 different counties in a Midwestern state during January 1, 2008, to May 10, 2010. A total of 23,831 detained youth (ages 11-18 years), identified as non-Hispanic White (46.6%), Black (43.5%), or Hispanic (9.8%), completed a mental health screener that assessed problems in alcohol/drug use, depression-anxiety, anger-irritability, trauma, somatic complaints, and suicide ideation. Census data were gathered to determine the racial heterogeneity of each county and other county-level variables. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to test the independent and interactive effects of youth race/ethnicity and county-level variables (including racial heterogeneity of the county) on adolescent mental health. Independent of other community characteristics, as county-level racial heterogeneity increased, mental health problems among detained youth decreased. In future research on the development and persistence of mental health problems in detained youth, both community and individual-level factors should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Section of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Katherine S L
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2197-5539
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Section of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Aalsma
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Fordham University.
authors.forename: Evan D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Holloway
authors.affiliation: Children's Health Services, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Wiehe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota.
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Vachon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000786:Anger; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data