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Resilience in development: Neighborhood context, experiences of discrimination, and children’s mental health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 August 2023

Sakurako S. Okuzono Open the ORCID record for Sakurako S. Okuzono [Opens in a new window] ,
Joseph Wilson Jr Open the ORCID record for Joseph Wilson Jr [Opens in a new window]  and
Natalie Slopen
Sakurako S. Okuzono*
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Joseph Wilson Jr
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Natalie Slopen
Affiliation:
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Center on the Developing Child, Cambridge, MA, USA
*
Corresponding author: Sakurako S. Okuzono; Email: sshiba@g.harvard.edu
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Abstract

An understanding of child psychopathology and resilience requires attention to the nested and interconnected systems and contexts that shape children’s experiences and health outcomes. In this study, we draw on data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, 2016 to 2021 (n = 182,375 children, ages 3– to 17 years) to examine associations between community social capital and neighborhood resources and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems, and whether these associations were moderated by experiences of racial discrimination. Study outcomes were caregiver-report of current internalizing and externalizing problems. Using logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics of the child and household, higher levels of community social capital were associated with a lower risk of children’s depression, anxiety, and behaviors. Notably, we observed similar associations between neighborhood resources and child mental health for depression only. In models stratified by the child’s experience of racial/ethnic discrimination, the protective benefits of community social capital were specific to those children who did not experience racial discrimination. Our results illustrate heterogeneous associations between community social capital and children’s mental health that differ based on interpersonal experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination, illustrating the importance of a multilevel framework to promote child wellbeing.

Keywords

childrendiscriminationinternalizing/externalizing problemsneighborhoodresilience
Type
Special Issue Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 35 , Issue 5: Special Issue: Resilience in Development: Pathways to Multisystem Integration , December 2023 , pp. 2551 - 2559
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

SSO and JW contributed equally to the manuscript.

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