Discrimination and school belonging independently but not interactively associated with suicidal thoughts among adolescents: a brief report
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- 2Department of Psychology, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, United States
- 3Department of Health Policy & Management, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- 4The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health, University of Oregon, Portland, OR, United States
Abstract
IntroductionDiscrimination has been identified as a significant risk factor for suicidal ideation (SI) in adolescence, yet few studies have examined protective factors that may interact with this association.MethodsUsing cross-sectional data from the 2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), this brief report examines whether racial/ethnic discrimination is associated with higher odds of SI, and whether civic engagement and sense of belonging moderate this concurrent association. The sample included 1,169 adolescents aged 12–17 years (M = 14.57; SD = 1.67).ResultsBinary logistic regressions revealed that racial/ethnic discrimination was significantly associated with higher odds of SI (aOR = 2.29, 95% CI [1.46, 3.58], p < .001), while sense of belonging at school was significantly associated with lower odds of SI (aOR = 0.66, 95% CI [0.55, 0.78], p < .001). Contrary to hypotheses, civic efficacy (aOR = 0.96, 95% CI [0.87, 1.06], p = .389), community involvement (aOR = 0.83, 95% CI [0.53, 1.32], p = .473) and community leadership (aOR = 1.29, 95% CI [0.79, 2.09], p = 0.448) were not significantly associated with reduced odds of SI. None of the interactions were significant (p > .05), though moderation analyses may have been underpowered.DiscussionThese findings emphasize that discrimination and school belonging were independently linked to SI, but no interactive effects emerged. Given that school belonging was linked to lower odds of SI, implementing school-based strategies that foster belonging may strengthen adolescent suicide prevention efforts in the U.S.
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BibTeX
@article{meza2026discrimination,
title = {{Discrimination and school belonging independently but not interactively associated with suicidal thoughts among adolescents: a brief report}},
author = {Jocelyn Meza and Elena Maker Castro and Juliane L. Martinez and Grace M. Hindmarch and Sunhye Bai},
journal = {Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/frcha.2026.1855058},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2026.1855058},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Discrimination and school belonging independently but not interactively associated with suicidal thoughts among adolescents: a brief report
AU - Jocelyn Meza
AU - Elena Maker Castro
AU - Juliane L. Martinez
AU - Grace M. Hindmarch
AU - Sunhye Bai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/frcha.2026.1855058
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2026.1855058
AB - IntroductionDiscrimination has been identified as a significant risk factor for suicidal ideation (SI) in adolescence, yet few studies have examined protective factors that may interact with this association.MethodsUsing cross-sectional data from the 2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), this brief report examines whether racial/ethnic discrimination is associated with higher odds of SI, and whether civic engagement and sense of belonging moderate this concurrent association. The sample included 1,169 adolescents aged 12–17 years (M = 14.57; SD = 1.67).ResultsBinary logistic regressions revealed that racial/ethnic discrimination was significantly associated with higher odds of SI (aOR = 2.29, 95% CI [1.46, 3.58], p < .001), while sense of belonging at school was significantly associated with lower odds of SI (aOR = 0.66, 95% CI [0.55, 0.78], p < .001). Contrary to hypotheses, civic efficacy (aOR = 0.96, 95% CI [0.87, 1.06], p = .389), community involvement (aOR = 0.83, 95% CI [0.53, 1.32], p = .473) and community leadership (aOR = 1.29, 95% CI [0.79, 2.09], p = 0.448) were not significantly associated with reduced odds of SI. None of the interactions were significant (p > .05), though moderation analyses may have been underpowered.DiscussionThese findings emphasize that discrimination and school belonging were independently linked to SI, but no interactive effects emerged. Given that school belonging was linked to lower odds of SI, implementing school-based strategies that foster belonging may strengthen adolescent suicide prevention efforts in the U.S.
SN - 2813-4540
ER -