Chapter 6: Racism and Mental Health for Children and Youth in the United States

Prior research has established that migration and social integration experiences differ across racial–ethnic groups, and that an individual’s life experiences are shaped by being an immigrant and being within a specific minority racial–ethnic group (Wilkes & Wu, 2019). Adding to this, other research (Sáenz & Douglas, 2015) finds that Black immigrant adults experience racial discrimination differently than their native-born counterparts, because of their immigrant status. These results are especially relevant to understand the well-being and life course trajectories for migrant and second-generation teens in the United States, who account for more than one-third of all children, and with roughly 80% identifying with a non-white racial–ethnic group (Batalova, 2024). This research focuses on the relationships across having experienced racism, an established measure of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), Further, we find that White teens are more likely than Hispanic teens, and that females, teens from higher-income households, and teens from less safe neighborhoods are more likely than their counterparts to have a mental or emotional health condition. Also, the interaction of experiencing racism and the child’s racial–ethnic status is related to having a mental or emotional health condition; White and Black teens are less likely than Hispanic teens to have a mental or emotional health condition. These results are especially relevant for migrant and second-generation teens, who account for more than one-third of all children.