Community Involvement and Adolescent Mental Health: Moderating Effects of Race/Ethnicity and Neighborhood Disadvantage

The objectives of this paper are to: (1) examine the effects of various types of community participation on adolescent mental health, and (2) assess the extent to which race/ethnicity and neighborhood disadvantage moderate the effects of community participation on adolescent mental health. Using data from two waves (1994/95 and 1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (“Add Health,” N=7,863), multilevel (hierarchical) linear models were estimated that tested for interaction effects of race/ethnicity and neighborhood disadvantage.. The types of community participation that impacted adolescent mental health varied across racial/ethnic groups. Neighborhood interaction and religious participation were salient for both White and Hispanic teens, but the impact of religious participation for Whites was moderated by neighborhood disadvantage. Non-sport extra-curricular activities and employment were the salient factors for Black teens, both of which were moderated by neighborhood disadvantage. Social integration and social control theories suggest that participation in one's community can function as a protective factor for mental health, especially for youth from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. However, little is known about whether race/ethnicity and neighborhood disadvantage moderate the effects of community participation on adolescent mental health. This paper addresses this gap in the literature.