1-100 - Mental health among urban, immigrant youth: Trajectories of internalizing problems, ethnic identity, and acculturation strategies

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

In this paper symposium, we will present new findings from a longitudinal study conducted with urban minority youth, titled New York City Academic and Social Engagement Study (NYCASES). This three-wave study gathered mixed methods data from more than 500 adolescents over three waves during high school years. The papers presented in this panel examine how various contextual factors impact immigrant adolescents’ mental health over time. The first is a longitudinal study that examines the role of internalizing mental health symptoms in predicting trajectories of substance use among African American and Latino urban adolescents. The second is a longitudinal study designed to focus on the role of ethnic identification on mental health symptoms. The third is a mixed methods study that has paired identity maps with survey items to examine the degree to which Berry’s acculturation strategies are related to mental health symptoms and whether it varies by ethnicity. Using sophisticated data analytical procedures, each paper significantly contributes to our understanding of diverse urban minority youth development and their mental health outcomes in the United States.

Sub Unit

• Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Chair

• Selcuk R. Sirin, New York University

Discussant

• Matthew Diemer, University of Michigan

Individual Presentations

• The role of internalizing mental health symptoms in substance use trajectories for urban minority adolescents - Presenting Author: Patrice Ryce, New York University; Lauren Rogers-Sirin, The College of Staten Island, CUNY; Selcuk R. Sirin, New York University; Josephine Palmeri, New York University

• Ethnic identity and mental health symptoms among urban youth: A three-wave longitudinal investigation - Presenting Author: Lauren Rogers-Sirin, The College of Staten Island, CUNY; Selcuk R. Sirin, New York University

• Identity map used to understand the relation between Berry’s acculturation strategies and mental health among urban minority youth - Presenting Author: Esther J. Sin, New York University; Selcuk R. Sirin, New York University