Exploring Monoracial/Ethnic and Multiracial/Ethnic Classification in the Context of Mental Health Among High School Students.

Objectives: To explore the prevalence of Multiracial/ethnic identity and its association with mental health among high school students.

Methods: The 2021 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N=17,232) data were used. Respondents were classified as monoracial/ethnic or Multiracial/ethnic.

Results: Overall, 21.5% of students were Multiracial/ethnic. Multiracial/ethnic status was most prevalent among students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic or Latino. Logistic regression models showed Multiracial/ethnic classification was associated with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness among students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black, and White. Multiracial/ethnic Asian students had significantly higher odds of all four indicators of poor mental health compared with monoracial/ethnic Asian students.

Conclusion: Multiracial/ethnic students constitute a heterogenous group. This study found important subgroup differences in indicators of mental health that might be missed when Multiracial/ethnic groups are considered in aggregate.