Consistently multiracial youth show, in almost all behavior problems - alcohol, smoking, marijuana, fighting - more problems than other children

Lydialyle Gibson:

In the Seattle survey, conducted among 10- to 14-year-olds at four public schools in lower-income neighborhoods, multiracial respondents were significantly more likely than their monoracial peers to have ever smoked; the odds were 38 percent less for white students, 32 percent less for black students, and 51 percent less for Asian students. The probabilities remained similar for other substances too—when asked if they’d ever consumed alcohol or gotten drunk or high, multiracial respondents were much more likely than other groups to say yes.

The differences in violent behavior were even more striking. Multiracial youths were 63 percent more likely than white respondents to have been in a fight and 65 percent more likely to have threatened to stab someone. African American students, who held even with multiracial respondents for some violent behaviors, were 39 percent less likely to have hurt someone badly and 46 percent less likely to have carried a gun.

Multiracial youth more likely to engage in violence, substance abuse

Multiracial Youths More Likely To Engage In Violent Behavior, Substance Abuse