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Symposia

Mental Health Disparities

Understanding and Addressing Structural Stressors Impacting Youth Mental Health through Novel, Affirming Interventions

2 - (SYM 3) Effectiveness Outcomes in a Low-intensity Digital Mindfulness Intervention for Young People of Color Who Face Discrimination

Friday, November 21, 2025
10:22 AM - 10:39 AM CST
Location: Strand 1, Level 2
Keywords: Mental Health Disparities, Treatment Development, Adolescents
Recommended Readings: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011-2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.,   Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., Abelson, S., Heinze, J., Jirsa, M., Morigney, J., Patterson, A., Singh, M., & Eisenberg, D. (2022). Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013-2021. Journal of Affective Disorders, 306, 138–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.038,   Ramos, G., & Chavira, D. A. (2022). Use of Technology to Provide Mental Health Care for Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Evidence, Promise, and Challenges. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 29(1), 15–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2019.10.004,   Ringle, V. A. M., Sung, J. Y., Roulston, C. A., & Schleider, J. L. (2024). Mixed-methods examination of adolescent-reported barriers to accessing mental health services. Journal of Adolescent Health, 74(2), 268–276.,   Zimmerman, A., Garman, E., Avendano-Pabon, M., Araya, R., Evans-Lacko, S., McDaid, D., Park, A.-L., Hessel, P., Diaz, Y., Matijasevich, A., Ziebold, C., Bauer, A., Paula, C. S., & Lund, C. (2021). The impact of cash transfers on mental health in children and young people in low-income and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Global Health, 6(4), e004661. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004661
Abstract Body



Background: Young people of color experience daily instances of discrimination that affect their mental health. Mindfulness may be especially well suited to help them cope, as this intervention disrupts the mechanisms by which discrimination “gets under the skin” to lead to negative mental health outcomes. However, mindfulness programs, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, often involve a significant time commitment (e.g., weekly classes and 45 minutes of daily practice at home for eight weeks and a full-day retreat). Further, people of color are less likely to access mindfulness interventions in the community compared with their White peers. This study examines whether a low-intensity digital mindfulness intervention is an effective alternative for young people of color.

Method:  Participants (n = 116, Ages = 18-25, 77% female, 43% Latinx, 32% Asian, 16% Black, 7% Multiracial, 2% Native American) who scored at least in the 75th percentile in the Multicultural Discrimination Module, received a self-guided, app-based mindfulness program for two weeks (n = 77) or waited two weeks to receive it (n = 39). Measures were administered at week 0 and week 2. Multilevel modeling was used in intention-to-treat analyses to test group-by-time interactions.

Results:  Compared with individuals in the control group, those who received the intervention experienced greater reductions in experiential avoidance (b = -3.60, t = -2.64, p = .008), stress (b = -2.45, t = -2.76, p = .006), anxiety (b = -2.38, t = -3.16, p = .002), and depression (b = -1.83, t = -2.34, p = .020). There were not statistically significant differences in mindfulness (b = 2.98, t = 1.84, p = .060), self-compassion (b = 1.26, t = 1.36, p = .170), emotion suppression (b = 0.17, t = 0.28, p = .078), or rumination (b = -0.76, t = -1.49, p = .140).

Conclusions: Despite its brevity and self-guided nature, this digital mindfulness intervention was effective in reducing negative mental health symptoms commonly associated with experiencing discrimination. Thus, this low-intensity digital approach holds promise to improve the mental health of young people of color who experience marginalization, especially given its low-time commitment and dissemination potential. However, this same intervention seemed ineffective in engaging some of the mechanisms by which discrimination is hypothesized to “get under the skin” and lead to mental health problems. Thus, this study advances our understanding of what clinical outcomes can be effectively modified in very brief interventions for young people of color.