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The intersection of school racial composition and student race/ethnicity on adolescent depressive and somatic symptoms

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  • Walsemann, Katrina M.
  • Bell, Bethany A.
  • Maitra, Debeshi

Abstract

Schools are one of the strongest socializing forces in the U.S. and wield considerable influence over individuals' social and economic trajectories. Our study investigates how school-level racial composition, measured by the percentage non-Hispanic white students in a school, affects depressive and somatic symptoms among a representative sample of U.S. adolescents, and whether the association differs by race/ethnicity. We analyzed Wave I data from the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, resulting in a sample size of 18,419Â students attending 132Â junior and senior high schools in 1994/5. After controlling for individual and school characteristics, our multilevel analyses indicated that with increasing percentages of white students at their school, black students experienced more depressive symptoms and a higher risk of reporting high levels of somatic symptoms. After including students' perceptions of discrimination and school attachment, the interaction between black student race and school-level racial composition was no longer significant for either outcome. Our findings suggest that attending predominantly-minority schools may buffer black students from discrimination and increase their school attachment, which may reduce their risk of experiencing depressive and somatic symptoms.

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  • Walsemann, Katrina M. & Bell, Bethany A. & Maitra, Debeshi, 2011. "The intersection of school racial composition and student race/ethnicity on adolescent depressive and somatic symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(11), pages 1873-1883, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:72:y:2011:i:11:p:1873-1883
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    1. Dudovitz, R.N. & Biely, C. & Barnert, E.S. & Coker, T.R. & Guerrero, A.D. & Jackson, N. & Schickedanz, A. & Szilagyi, P.G. & Iyer, S. & Chung, P.J., 2021. "Association between school racial/ethnic composition during adolescence and adult health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    2. Lin Zhu, 2018. "A Multi-Level Analysis on School Connectedness, Family Support, and Adolescent Depression: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, 1995–1996," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-16, April.
    3. Bradby, Hannah, 2012. "Race, ethnicity and health: The costs and benefits of conceptualising racism and ethnicity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(6), pages 955-958.
    4. Nancy E. Hill & Julia R. Jeffries & Kathleen P. Murray, 2017. "New Tools for Old Problems: Inequality and Educational Opportunity for Ethnic Minority Youth and Parents," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 674(1), pages 113-133, November.

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