Ethnic inequalities in adolescent mental wellbeing: An intersectional analysis of social identity markers, risk and protective factors

This study focused on the nature and magnitude of ethnic inequalities in mental wellbeing in early-to-mid adolescence and sought to determine the extent to which different social identity markers (e.g., gender) and/or exposures (e.g., risk factors, such as discrimination; protective factors, such as parent/carer support) interact with ethnicity to predict mental wellbeing. Secondary analysis of the #BeeWell dataset (N=67,866 aged 12-15 years) was undertaken. Analyses revealed that, compared to the reference group of White British young people, several minoritised ethnic groups (e.g., Black African, Indian) reported significantly better mental wellbeing, and none reported significantly worse mental wellbeing. Our intersectional analyses revealed a complex picture. While some social identity markers and exposures yielded effects that appear to be ubiquitous and invariant across ethnic groups (e.g., the traditional gender gap in wellbeing and the promotive effects of peer support were uniform across ethnic groups), many interacted with ethnicity in predicting mental wellbeing (e.g., Indian and Pakistani youth particularly negatively impacted by racial or religious discrimination; protective ethnic density effects evident only for those of Black Caribbean, Black African and White Other origin). Collectively, these findings provide important new insights into the nature, magnitude and factors underpinning ethnic disparities in mental wellbeing.