P0667 - Adolescent Engagement: Challenges of Safety and Mental Health

There are inequities in safety experienced by youth across different communities. In order to improve these inequities for adolescents, there is a need to increase adolescent civic engagement within their communities. However, levels of neighborhood or school safety may influence their civic engagement, as well as their mental health. The objective of the current study is to examine the association between perceptions of neighborhood, park, and school safety, civic engagement, and mental health within racially diverse adolescents.
This cross-sectional study used 2009 data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old in California. Descriptive and bivariate analysis (chi-square) were conducted. Additionally, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict mental health outcomes (Kessler 6 Scale- psychological distress, needing help for an emotional problem, and received psychological counseling) by perceptions of safety (neighborhood, park, and school) and civic engagement (community service), controlling for demographics. The survey included a total of 3,379 participants (1,767 males and 1,612 females).
The racial/ethnic demographics of the 3,379 participants included 43.0% White, 29.1% Hispanic, 6.0% African American, 9.0% Asian American, and 12.4% Other. Analyses yielded a significant relationship between race/ethnicity and adolescent community service (p<0.01). African American (OR 0.2, 95% CI: 0.06-0.67), (p < 0.01) and Asian American (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.01-0.7), (p = 0.01) adolescents were less likely to report higher levels of psychological distress compared to white adolescents. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between adolescents’ perception of lower school safety and higher levels of psychological distress (p<0.01). Adolescents who felt that their park wasn’t safe were more likely to report needing help for an emotional problem (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.5) (p <0.05) and reported higher levels of psychological distress (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.4-4.7), (p < 0.01). Furthermore, adolescents who felt safer in their neighborhood were significantly more likely to report that they participated in community service (p<0.01). However, there was no significant relationship between community service and adolescent psychological distress.
Findings illustrate how the perceptions of neighborhood and school safety are determinants of adolescents’ community engagement and mental health. Research has shown the significance of adolescent community engagement for improved feelings of connection and well-being. The results speak to the critical need for improving feelings of safety in order to improve adolescent community engagement and mental health. Further research must be done to address how adolescents respond to environmental stressors, such as perceptions of safety, and how it affects their mental health. The findings have implications for understanding and improving adolescent civic engagement in contexts where adolescents do not feel safe and addressing mental health inequities in these higher-risk contexts.