J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2024;35(3):920-932.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To explore the prevalence of Multiracial/ethnic identity and its association with mental health among high school students.
METHODS: The 2021 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N=17,232) data were used. Respondents were classified as monoracial/ethnic or Multiracial/ethnic.
RESULTS: Overall, 21.5% of students were Multiracial/ethnic. Multiracial/ethnic status was most prevalent among students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic or Latino. Logistic regression models showed Multiracial/ethnic classification was associated with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black, and White. Multiracial/ethnic Asian students had significantly higher odds of all four indicators of poor mental health compared with monoracial/ethnic Asian students.
CONCLUSION: Multiracial/ethnic students constitute a heterogenous group. This study found important subgroup differences in indicators of mental health that might be missed when Multiracial/ethnic groups are considered in aggregate.
PMID:39129610
