Estimating School Race/Ethnic Enrollment Effects on Student Mental Health: Density and Diversity as a Risk or Protective Factor.

Objective: To investigate effects of school race/ethnic enrollment on mental health in early adolescence by examining both race/ethnic density (percent non-Latinx [NL] White enrollment) and diversity (range/size of all race/ethnic groups enrolled). Variation by student race/ethnic identity is examined as minority stressors are uniquely experienced by race/ethnic minority students.

Design: Longitudinal cohort from a broader mental health study.

Setting: Fourteen schools in Texas (2011-2015).

Participants: Sixth-grade participants (mean age 11.5 years) linked to publicly available data about their school (N=389).

Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported depressive-anxious symptoms over a two-year period.

Methods: Generalized estimating equations tested main effects of density/diversity on depressive-anxious symptoms across student-reported race/ethnic identity, adjusting for student/school factors. Owing to statistically significant Latinx-group differences by acculturative stress, four unique identities were generated: NL-Black, low-stress Latinx, high-stress Latinx, and NL-White-referent. Points of convergence of student mental health profiles across density/diversity were explored.

Results: A significant interaction between density and student race/ethnicity was found (P<.01), with NL-Black and low-stress Latinx vs NL-White students experiencing higher symptoms over the two-year period, net of covariates. In contrast, greater diversity was associated with higher symptoms, net of controls (P<.05). A marginally significant interaction (P=.06) revealed fewer symptoms for high-stress Latinx vs NL-White students. At about 25%, NL-White density and diversity of .5-.6, all students experienced similar mental health profiles.

Conclusions: Greater NL-White density increases mental health risk for NL-Black and low-stress Latinx students, while school diversity lowers risk for high-stress Latinx students. These findings demonstrate how educational settings may produce or lessen minority stress.