194 - YOU Matter: A Multilevel Exploration of How Racism Manifests in the Lives of Black and Latine Adolescents

Publication Number: 1183.194

Kristen Kenan, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Shion Kabasele, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Calvin Rusiewski, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; Andrea Donis, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Molly Martin, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; Camille R.. Quinn, University of Michigan School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Tracy Gladstone, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; Linda A. Schiffer, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Audrey G. Brewer, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; William A. McDade, Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States; Henrika McCoy, University of Denver/Graduate School of Social Work, Denver, CO, United States; Stephanie Torres, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Benjamin VanVoorhees, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States

Background: Depression is among the most common and preventable causes of teen morbidity, yet prevention models rarely address the culturally rooted stressors shaping risk for Black and Latine teens. Racial discrimination-across individual, institutional, and cultural levels-elevates depression risk up to threefold. Frameworks-derived largely from studies of White teens-often overlook how chronic and endemic racism shapes vulnerability and resilience, underscoring the need for culturally responsive prevention strategies.

Objective: Guided by the NIMHD Research Framework, this study explores how Black and Latine teens experience and interpret different forms of racism in order to inform equitable, culturally grounded approaches to depression prevention and intervention.

Design/Methods: We used a qualitative design to examine sixteen teens' (7 Black, 6 Latine, 3 Multiracial; ages 13-17) experiences of racial discrimination. Participants were recruited at UI Health between August - October 2024. Four in-person focus groups were conducted by race/ethnicity (Black and Latine) and age (13-15 and 16-17). Sessions (~2 hours) were audio-recorded, transcribed, verified, and analyzed using a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic approach. The University of Illinois Chicago IRB approved all procedures.

Results: Findings, including some racially distinct patterns, emerged. Three final themes aligned with the NIMHD Research Framework: Acculturation, Identity, Power, and Cultural Tension - participants described how culture, identity, and power shape their experiences of racism and belonging ("I get made fun of by my family because I can't roll my Rs…"); Coping, Trauma Responses, and Self-Protection in the Face of Racism - teens described cumulative fatigue and evolving strategies for navigating racism ("We keep getting profiled as thugs, but we still have to be ourselves…"); and Conditional Safety and Contextual Exposure to Racism - teens highlighted how racism operates across schools, businesses, and digital spaces ("In Da Hood video game you see two Black characters pointing guns at each other…"). Individual racial teasing and bullying emerged as the most salient and pervasive subtype of racial discrimination across all final themes.

Conclusion(s): Racial discrimination is embedded in the lives of Black and Latine teens across socioecological levels, with diverse forms, perpetrators, and impacts. To design depression prevention interventions that reflect the true risk and resilience factors relevant to all youth, we must continue to examine how racism in all its forms shapes risk for Black and Latine teens.

Figure 1. Final Themes Identified Across Focus Groups
Major themes emerging from qualitative analysis of adolescent focus groups describing experiences of racial discrimination and their perceived impact on mental health and coping.

Figure 2. Subthemes Within Each Major Theme
Detailed subthemes illustrating the nuanced contexts, sources, and developmental patterns within each overarching theme of racial discrimination as described by participants.

Figure 3. Relative Prevalence of Racial Discrimination Subtypes
Figure 3 illustrates the relative prevalence of racial discrimination subtypes identified during qualitative coding. Larger icons correspond to subtypes that were more frequently coded within the final themes, indicating areas of greater emphasis across adolescent focus groups.