Empowered Voices: Exploring Why and How Civic Action Transforms the Mental Health and Well-Being of Black, Latine, and Middle Eastern and North African Youth

Young people in the United States are coming of age during a period marked by worsening mental health concerns and heightened sociopolitical polarization (Gimbrone et al., 2022; Office of the Surgeon General, 2021). Civic action—engagement in activism, political participation, and community involvement—has developed into a protective and promotive factor among youth of color (Diemer et al., 2021; Mathews et al., 2023). However, little is known about the psychological mechanisms and sociocultural contexts that support or constrain its development, especially among Middle Eastern and North African youth. The current concurrent mixed-methods study investigated why and how civic action shapes the mental health and well-being of youth of color. Specifically, the study examined: 1) the psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between civic action and mental health and well-being across racial and ethnic groups, 2) contextual factors that support or constrain these processes, and 3) developmental differences in dimensions of civic action that support well-being across adolescence. Black, Latine, and Middle Eastern and North African youth (N=42, ages 12-18) were recruited from community-based organizations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, and quantitative data were analyzed descriptively to contextualize the findings. Youth described civic action as fostering purpose, empowerment, and identity-based meaning. They also reported that civic action induced emotional strain. However, families, peers, mentors, and civic organizations functioned as important sources of support and safe spaces that facilitated coping and emotion regulation. In contrast, schools functioned as contested civic spaces that were not always supportive. Lastly, developmental differences emerged: younger adolescents engaged in more structured, service-oriented civic participation, whereas older adolescents engaged in more autonomous, identity-linked forms of participation characterized by greater structural critiques of social problems. Civic action appears to function as a complex developmental process for youth of color. The findings highlight the importance of cultivating individual and contextual supports that sustain healthy civic engagement and promote mental health and well-being among racially and ethnically minoritized youth, with implications for research, policy, and practice. 

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Daphne A. Henry, Ph.D.