The Importance of Social Support in Promoting Positive Mental Health Among Black Youth

Background and Purpose: Black youth are at a higher risk for anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues compared to their non-Black peers (APA, 2022). Research reports experiences of discrimination and systemic racism as some of the leading factors that contribute to negative mental health in Black youth. It has been found that experiences of racial discrimination not only increase the risk of anxiety and depression among Black youth (Gaylord-Harden & Cunningham, 2009; Neblett et al., 2008), but also directly contribute to the origin of these disorders (English et al., 2014). Unfortunately, Black youth living with mental health disorders are less likely to receive treatment for various reasons, including negative perceptions of services and providers and lack of access (Lindsey et al., 2013). However, social support is an important protective factor against mental health issues (Liu, 2021). Thus, increasing social support may be a promising intervention to enhance positive mental health among Black youth. This study assesses the research question: What is the likelihood Black youth will experience anxiety given their social support (parental, peer, mentors, community, church)?

Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using the sixth wave of the National Survey for Children’s Health data, conducted between 2016-2022, and included about 104,995 respondents from households with one or more children under 18. This sub-sample included all the Black participants from the sample that responded to this question (n = 19,046). Standard binary logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of five dichotomous factors: parental support, religious support, peer support, mentorship, and community support, as well as the likelihood of anxiety among the sub-sample. Missing data was removed listwise.

Results: The logistic regression model was statistically significant, χ2(15) = 27.402, p < .001. The odds that the participants would have anxiety were 1.2 times lower for those who live in a supportive neighborhood (p < .001), 1.1 times lower for those who had a mentor (p = .009), about 1 time lower for those whose family received emotional support from their religious institution, (p < .001), about 0.5 times lower for those with peer support (p < .001), and 5.6 times lower for those with parental support (p < .001). This model explained 11.4% to 21.9 % of the variance in anxiety for this sample and correctly classified 88.2% of cases.

Conclusion and Implications: This study highlights the importance of social support systems in reducing anxiety among Black youth, highlighting the protective role of parental, peer, religious, mentorship, and community support. The results suggest a need for policies to strengthen family dynamics and enhance community and religious support structures. Further, these findings underscore the need to work with communities and leaders to address barriers to accessing mental health services. Further, schools and community programs could consider strengthening peer support networks. Lastly, future qualitative research can explore how Black youth perceive these social supports and explore the interplay between different types of support and their collective impact on mental health outcomes.