Researchers Rose, Lindsey, Xiao, Finigan-Carr, and Joe (2017) used the dual-

factor model approach, incorporating both subjective well-being and mental health
issues in Black youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of
mental health and educational experiences in a national sample of African-American
adolescences due to the influence mental health can have on academic achievement.
This article addressed an important issue to the public that is often not viewed due
to racial inequities.
Researchers argued a positive academic performance could increase
emotional and psychological well-being individuals, whereas a poor academic
achievement may create low self-esteem and depressive symptomology. Being said,
the knowledge users and targeted audience that would benefit from reading this
article are the public at large, but more specifically teachers and principles, parents,
and youth counselors. These individuals can influence academic achievement by
offering support and guidance, as well as increasing psychological well-being in
individuals, in particular African-American adolescents.
The study had a clustered sample with 810 African Americans, and 360
blacks from the Caribbean, creating 1170 youths ranging from 13 to 17 years old; 48
percent males, 52 percent females. Demographics were taken from each individual
(gender, age, ethnicity), and education measures (grade retention, grades,
suspensions, expulsions, school bonding). Participants stated their subjective well-
being, and psychopathology by answering questions asked by researchers.
Rose et al. (2017) found grade retention to be association with lower
academic achievement, lower self-concept, and lower school bonding in
participants. Subjective well-being and psychopathology were not linked together;
some participants had high levels of psychopathology, but also high subjective well-
being, suggesting these individuals were still relatively satisfied with their overall
life. Similar, there was no statistically significant differences of African American or
Caribbean Black on positive mental health to all other ethnicity groups, which
previous literature has suggested. Researchers suggested a greater focus on Black
youth for better mental health to lower the potential high-risk of mental health
problems. To conclude, lower academic achievement was associated to all
educational measures, resulting in lower subjective well-being.
A limitation is the subjective well-being and psychopathology symptoms.
Participants may have no listed all symptoms, concluding that the absence of
symptoms does not necessarily indicate higher well-being. Future research can have
a clinical assessment of psychopathology symptoms to ensure reliability.

Reference
Rose, T., Lindsey, M. A., Xiao, Y., Finigan-Carr, N. M., & Joe, S. (2017). Mental health
and education experiences among black youth: A latent class analysis. Journal
of Youth and Adolescence, 46(11), 2321-2340.