Report Publish Date: September 27, 2024
This journal article uses data from the National Survey on Critical Digital Literacy to examine whether experiencing online racial discrimination, directed at themselves or others, increases suicidal ideation among Latine adolescents.
Latine teens who had experienced online racial discrimination directed at themselves were more likely to have recently thought about suicide, compared to those who had not experienced online racial discrimination and those who had seen racial discrimination directed at others online.
This study contributes to growing evidence that what teens see online is as important as the amount of time they spend online in terms of their risks for depression and suicide.
Latine adolescents are at higher risk of suicide and suicidal ideation than White adolescents. And they also spend more time online, where they may be exposed to racism and bullying.
There is little research on Latine adolescents and suicide. The researchers wanted to know if spending more time online or being more exposed to online racism puts Latine adolescents at risk for suicide.
The findings, the researchers hoped, could help improve suicide prevention among Latine teens.
The researchers expected to find a relationship between experiences of online racism and suicidal ideation among Latine adolescents.
They used 2020 to 2021 data from the National Survey on Critical Digital Literacy, which studied 11- to 19-year-olds in the U.S. They used the Online Victimization Scale to assess the impacts of online racism and the Children’s Depression Inventory to assess symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation.
“This study indicates an urgent need to examine the role that racial discrimination and technology may play in suicide risk for Latine adolescents.”
—Lillian Polanco-Roman, The New School; Ashley D. Maxie-Moreman, Children’s National Hospital; Henry A. Willis, University of Maryland, College Park; Tuyet-Mai Ha Hoang, University of Illinois–Urbana Champaign; Brendesha M. Tynes, University of Southern California
The authors write, “This study is the first to examine online racism and suicide-related risk among Latine youth, and contributes to our understanding of the potentially harmful exposures that can occur in online settings.” They add that it’s important to include online racism in future studies examining the factors that impact Latine young people’s risks for suicide.
$247,182
Awarded on: 11/16/2021
Timeframe: 2021-2025
Grant number: 79254
Location: New York, NY
Objective
Online racial discrimination (ORD) is a growing problem among Latine youth that may help explain their elevated risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The present study examined the relation between direct and indirect experiences of ORD on suicidal ideation in a nationally representative sample of Latine youth in the United States.
Method
This cross-sectional study used data collected in 2020 to 2021 from the National Survey on Critical Digital Literacy, a population-based, mixed-methods study on the psychological impact of online racism experiences among US adolescents aged 11 to 19 years. Participants are self-identified Latine adolescents (N = 243; 56.8% male) inclusive of all racial backgrounds. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the association between individual (ie, direct) and vicarious (ie, indirect) ORD and suicidal ideation in the past 2 weeks.
Results
Adjusting for demographics, hours spent online, and depression symptoms, findings from the logistic regression model showed that adolescents with higher levels of individual ORD had higher odds of endorsing suicidal ideation in the past 2 weeks (adjusted odds ratio = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.02-4.69) compared to those with lower levels. This association was not observed with vicarious ORD (adjusted odds ratio = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.50-1.43).
Conclusion
Findings suggest that direct, but not indirect, exposures to ORD may confer elevated risk for thinking about suicide among Latine youth, above and beyond the effects of depression symptoms and hours spent online. Addressing direct ORD may help to improve the cultural responsiveness of youth suicide prevention strategies targeting Latine youth.
JAACAP Open, 27 Sep 2024; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaacop.2024.07.001
Figure 1 Frequency of Individual and Vicarious Online Racial Discrimination Experiences at Least Once in the Past 12 Months Page 5
This study and journal article were conducted and created by the following people:
