What Factors Contribute to Black Youth's Mental Health in Chicago? a Dyadic Qualitative Investigation

BACKGROUND: Existing research that explores the mental health experiences of Black youth in Chicago is overwhelmingly focused on exposure to violence and its detrimental effects on adolescent development. As a result, few studies have carefully considered how suicide also persists as an understudied, yet overlooked form of violence among Black youth in this city. Even fewer have used this information to develop universal, school-based interventions. In an effort to redress these gaps we conducted qualitative interviews with Black families to learn what specific topics they believe should be included in the development of a culturally adapted, suicide prevention intervention. Understanding which factors Black families report as being most salient contributors to youth mental health will aid researchers and clinicians in developing interventions and clinical treatment options that align with their lived experiences.

METHODS: We applied thematic analysis techniques to identify patterns in qualitative data collected from Black families in Chicago. In doing so we conducted a total of 22 one-on-one interviews with 11 dyads of Black adolescents and one of their parents. Families were recruited from community organizations, non-profit groups, local events, churches, and through word of mouth. Eligibility criteria required participants to (1) identify as Black American and (2) have a 6th - 8th grade student attending school in Chicago, IL. Interviewers included Black, Latinx, and multiracial researchers, some of whom were also Chicago natives. Further, we utilized the RADaR Technique (Watkins, 2017) to systematically organize and analyze the data. Iterative open and focused coding procedures were implemented, and consensus approaches were used to resolve disagreements throughout the coding process. All interviews were conducted online via Zoom from Fall 2023 to Winter 2024.

RESULTS: We extracted primary themes from our analysis that highlight experiences of (1) educational inequities; (2) racism and racial violence; (3) interpersonal conflict with family; (4) interpersonal conflict in schools; and (5) community violence. Black middle school participants in our study identified disparate access to adequate schools as a structural, race-based stressor that uniquely impact Black youth’s mental health in the city. Other youth participants pointed to conflict with parents, friends, and other family members. Further, parents and youth both recognized to bullying to negatively impact Black youth’s mental health. Some students specifically named direct and vicarious encounters of racism and explained how watching harrowing events or deaths on the news shaped their psychological wellbeing. In some instances parents’ qualitative responses diverged from youth’s responses, particularly surrounding issues of familial conflict and interpersonal relationships. The areas of overlap and divergence reiterate the importance of probing for within-group differences in working to understand and incorporate perspectives from both Black youth and their parents today.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Black youth and their parents identified a series of individual and structural-level factors that adversely impact Black youth’s mental health and in Chicago. Findings generated from this study will be used to inform the development of a culturally adapted suicide prevention intervention that will be implemented among Black 6^th – 8^th grade students in the coming academic year.