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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2008.144329v1 99/5/878    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Coker, T. R. Articles by Schuster, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Coker, T. R. Articles by Schuster, M. A. Related Collections School Health Mental Health Other Child and Adolescent Health Other Race/Ethnicity Minority Children

Tumaini R. Coker, MD, MBA, Marc N. Elliott, PhD, David E. Kanouse, PhD, Jo Anne Grunbaum, EdD, David C. Schwebel, PhD, M. Janice Gilliland, PhD, Susan R. Tortolero, PhD, Melissa F. Peskin, PhD and Mark A. Schuster, MD, PhD

Tumaini R. Coker is with the Department of Pediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, and the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA. Marc N. Elliott and David E. Kanouse are with the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA. Jo Anne Grunbaum is with the Division of Adult and Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research, Atlanta, GA. David C. Schwebel is with the Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Birmingham. M. Janice Gilliland is with the Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of Alabama, Birmingham. Susan R. Tortolero and Melissa F. Peskin are with the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, Houston. Mark A. Schuster is with the Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, and the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Tumaini R. Coker at UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion, 1072 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (e-mail: tcoker{at}mednet.ucla.edu).

Objectives. We sought to describe the prevalence, characteristics, and mental health problems of children who experience perceived racial/ethnic discrimination.

Methods. We analyzed cross-sectional data from a study of 5147 fifth-grade students and their parents from public schools in 3 US metropolitan areas. We used multivariate logistic regression (overall and stratified by race/ethnicity) to examine the associations of sociodemographic factors and mental health problems with perceived racial/ethnic discrimination.

Results. Fifteen percent of children reported perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, with 80% reporting that discrimination occurred at school. A greater percentage of Black (20%), Hispanic (15%), and other (16%) children reported perceived racial/ethnic discrimination compared with White (7%) children. Children who reported perceived racial/ethnic discrimination were more likely to have symptoms of each of the 4 mental health conditions included in the analysis: depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder. An association between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and depressive symptoms was found for Black, Hispanic, and other children but not for White children.

Conclusions. Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination is not an uncommon experience among fifth-grade students and may be associated with a variety of mental health disorders.