- Racial-ethnic discrimination was associated with increased depressive symptoms and higher odds of suicidality among Latine adolescents.
- Higher Positive Youth Development scores and greater community prosocial opportunities correlated with lower depressive symptoms and reduced suicidality.
- Neither PYD factors nor community prosocial rewards moderated the discrimination mental health relationship, though interviews described coping processes consistent with PYD.
J Affect Disord Rep. 2026 Dec;26:101161. doi: 10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101161. Epub 2026 Sep 11.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The role of Positive Youth Development (PYD) and prosocial involvement in buffering the impact of racial-ethnic discrimination among Latine adolescents remains understudied.
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether PYD and community-level opportunities and rewards for prosocial involvement moderate the association between discrimination and depressive symptoms and suicidality in Latine adolescents through a mixed methods approach.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Latine adolescents (N = 110), assessing racial-ethnic discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale [EDS]), depressive symptoms and suicidality (Mood and Feelings Questionnaire [MFQ]), PYD (PYD Short Form), and community-level opportunities and rewards for prosocial involvement (Communities That Care scales). Linear and logistic regression models examined predictors of depressive symptoms and suicidality. Moderation was tested with interaction terms. Semi-structured interviews were completed with a nested sample of adolescents and caregivers (N = 18 dyads). A thematic analysis of interviews with a focus on the role of PYD was conducted.
RESULTS: EDS scores were associated with higher MFQ scores and suicidality. PYD factors and community-level opportunities and rewards for prosocial involvement were associated with lower MFQ scores and suicidality. These trends were generally consistent in adjusted regressions. None of the PYD factors, nor community-level opportunities and rewards for prosocial involvement, moderated these relationships. Qualitative findings identified youth-described processes consistent with PYD that appeared to support coping in the context of discrimination.
CONCLUSIONS: PYD factors and community-level opportunities and rewards for prosocial involvement are associated with improved mental health among Latine adolescents but may not be sufficient to buffer the harmful effects of racial-ethnic discrimination.
PMID:42877840 | PMC:PMC13666561 | DOI:10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101161
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