Social Integration and Mental Health Promotion: A Study of Black Adolescents

Background and Purpose: The relationship between adolescent social contexts and their mental health has not been well investigated, particularly in the lives of Black adolescents. Within the available literature, how family, school, and religious contexts promote mental health in adolescents is even less explored. Statistics on the prevalence of adolescent mental disorders necessitate a comprehensive approach that moves beyond an emphasis on pathology to a focus on fostering mental health. Using a Durkheimian theoretical framework, this exploratory cross-sectional study examined whether adolescent integration into their family, school, and religious life promoted the mental health of Black adolescents. The protective impact of these contexts was also examined.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the NSAL-A, a national probability sample of African American and Caribbean Black adolescents. The NSAL-A is a part of the NSAL, which provides extensive data on mental disorders and the mental health of adult Americans of African ancestry. The NSAL-A is characterized as a complex sample survey based on the use of a stratified and clustered sample design, along with sample weights, to obtain the nationally representative sample. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test a priori specified relationships between measured and latent variables and hypothesized casual relationships among latent variables. Family integration was indicated by anticipated family support, communication, and closeness. School integration was indicated by school bonding and extracurricular activity participation. Religious integration was represented by two latent constructs. Religious involvement was reflected by service attendance, participation, and church related activities. Religious commitment was indicated by choice to attend religious services and choice to participate in church related activity. Mental health was defined by indicators of both positive and negative aspects of psychosocial well-being.

Results: The final SEM model had a satisfactory fit to the data: Χ²/df = 2.7, p < .001, CFI = .93, TLI = .93, RMSEA = .038. Greater family and school integration fostered better psychosocial well-being and protected against lower psychosocial well-being. Both higher religious commitment and lower religious involvement significantly predicted better psychosocial well-being. Neither religious commitment nor religious involvement was significantly related to lower psychosocial well-being. Standardized coefficients showed that school integration (.50) was the strongest predictor of positive psychosocial well-being and family integration (-.36) was the strongest predictor of negative psychosocial well-being. The results also demonstrated that 42% of the variance in the positive psychosocial well-being factor and 29% of the variance in the negative psychosocial well-being factor was due to the three integration factors and demographics.

Conclusions and Implications: The findings suggest that integration into family, school, and to a lesser degree religion was important for the promotion of Black adolescent mental health. Social workers can use the study results to inform the development of individual and group level interventions targeted at supporting the mental health of Black adolescents. The study contributes both to the mental health promotion and research literature for Black adolescents.