Assessing trends in internalizing symptoms among racialized and minoritized adolescents: results from the Monitoring the Future Study 2005-2020

Abstract

Abstract The prevalence of depressive symptoms has rapidly accelerated among recent US adolescent birth cohorts, yet there remains little understanding of trends among racialized and minoritized groups. These groups may experience depressive symptoms due to the deleterious effects of structural racism. Using 2005-2020 Monitoring the Future survey data, we examine all racialized groups using within-group analyses to observe trends in high levels of depressive symptoms across cohorts. Generally, across racialized groups and ages, the odds of high depressive symptoms increased in recent birth cohorts. For example, among 15- to 16-year-old students racialized as American Indian or Alaska Native and Black Hispanic/Latine, the 2003-2006 birth cohort had 3.08 (95% CI, 2.00-4.76) and 6.95 (95% CI, 2.70-17.88) times’ higher odds, respectively, of high depressive symptoms as compared with the 1987-1990 birth cohorts. Moreover, in a given year, 15- to 16-year-olds generally experienced the highest depressive symptoms compared with 13- to 14-year-olds and 17- to 18-year-olds, suggesting that age effects peaked during midadolescence. Depressive symptoms increased among US adolescents by birth cohort, within all racialized and minoritized groups assessed. Public health efforts to reduce disparities may consider barriers such as structural racism that may impact the mental health of racialized/minoritized adolescents while increasing access to culturally competent mental health providers and school-based services. This article is part of a Special Collection on Mental Health.