Key Research

Race-related Traumatic Events Online and Mental Health Among Adolescents of Color

Key Takeaways:

First study to show that viewing race-related viral videos (such as of police shootings and immigrant detainment) is associated with depressive and PTSD symptoms among adolescents of color
Young women and Latinx people had higher rates of both depression and PTSD
Education, medicine, and mental health professionals should talk about adolescents’ exposure to distressing material
Results indicate the need for interventions to assist young people in analyzing and resolving messages on race

LiveMore ScreenLess’ Summary

Recent studies indicate that exposure to distressing news stories about people in one’s own racial or ethnic group—or those with the same immigration status—is associated with poor mental health outcomes. Adolescents claim to be online “nearly constantly” at 45%, with social media platforms ranking among their most frequently visited video-sharing websites.

This study is the first nationally representative survey to assess whether viewing race-related TEO such as viral videos of police shootings and immigrant detainment is associated with depressive and PTSD symptoms among adolescents of color. Results show that viewing these events is related to increased levels of both outcomes. In addition, consistent with the literature, girls had higher depressive and PTSD symptoms than boys. Latinx participants also experienced more depressive symptoms in the face of these events.

Professionals in education, medicine, and mental health should talk about adolescents’ exposure to distressing material and provide technology solutions to help kids cope, such as making sure social media platforms don’t support autoplay movies. Furthermore, these results indicate the need for interventions to assist young people in analyzing and resolving messages on race.

Tynes, B. M., Willis, H. A., Stewart, A. M., & Hamilton, M. W. (2019, June 10). Race-related traumatic events online and mental health among adolescents of color. Journal of Adolescent Health.

Topics: Equity , Mental Health , Trauma

Year: 2019

Participants: 302 African American and Latinx adolescents aged 11-19 years

Data Collection: Participants reported their exposure to traumatic events online (TEO), depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and other sociodemographics. Multiple regression analyses were conducted.