The Hidden Impact of Sociocultural Determinants in Adolescence

This study, guided by the Social Determinants of Health framework and Social Ecological Model, examined how SDOH impact the presence of anxiety during adolescence. This study set out to understand what sociocultural determinants predict anxiety, using the 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health dataset. The analysis included a logistic regression to determine the predictability of SDOH on anxiety in adolescence. The results indicated that various SDOH are significant predictors of anxiety, while also indicating that the absence of adverse SDOH predicts the lack of anxiety. Further, unique findings related to race/ethnicity, age, and gender set the stage for additional research on DEI, as it relates to anxiety in adolescence. Conclusively, the results exemplify the need for interprofessional collaboration and integrated behavioral healthcare amongst helping professionals to diminish the impact of adverse determinants on adolescents’ mental health.