Racial justice activism, advocacy shown to reduce depression and anxiety in some teens

Black and LatinX teens who participated in an eight-week racial justice activism program reported fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition 2024 in Orlando, FL.

The study, “Our Voices Matter Pilot Study: A Racial Justice Activism Intervention to Reduce Depression in Adolescents,” will be presented during the conference at the Orange County Convention Center from September 27 through October. 1.

The study followed seven Black and LatinX teens who participated in 90-minute virtual sessions and learned about activism and social change through a critical examination of race and racism from February to April 2023. Participants reported a 38% reduction in reported depressive symptoms after four sessions. and a 45% reduction at the end of the intervention.

“This research is groundbreaking because it demonstrates the transformative power that activism could have on the mental health of Black and Latinx youth,” said Billie Patterson, a medical student at UQ Ochsner at the Met RISE Health Laboratory. “The potential to leverage advocacy efforts as a therapeutic tool is an exciting frontier for both health promotion and social justice.”

The authors note that the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked protests that attracted more than 15 million participants, underscoring activism as a united response against racism. Structural racism and discrimination are known causes of chronic stress and health disparities, including conditions such as metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes.

The teens focused their efforts on the school-to-prison pipeline, delving into national and local contexts using primary sources. They created social media campaigns to raise awareness and inspire action regarding inadequate mental health care in schools and racial disparities in school disciplinary procedures.

Participants completed baseline, midpoint, and post-intervention measures of depression and measures of intervention acceptability and adherence.

“The activism intervention we tested resulted in clinically meaningful reductions in depressive symptoms and we observed an upward trend in measures of resilience,” said Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MBA, MSc, FAAP, lead researcher and pediatrician at Lurie Children’s and assistant professor. of Pediatrics from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

“We learned that teens like having a safe place and learning how to help their community,” said Dr. Heard Garris. “We were also excited to see that these teens continued to engage in advocacy long after the end of the pilot study.”