Somatic and Depressive Symptoms Among Children From Latin America and the English-Speaking Caribbean.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which depression is associated with somatic complaints in children from the English-speaking Caribbean and Latin America is not well established. OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore the association between depressive and somatic symptoms among children from the English-speaking Caribbean and Latin America, while accounting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, cultural background, and anxiety score. METHOD: 1541 elementary school children, ages 9-12 years, from the English-speaking Caribbean and Latin America completed the Adolescent Depression Rating Scale (ARDS), the Numeric 0-10 Anxiety Self-Report Scale and the Children's Somatic Symptom Inventory-24 (CSSI-24). T-tests and ANOVA's were used to compare CSSI-24 and ARDS scores among countries, and the CSSI-24 scores of children with (ARDS ≥ 4) and without likely clinically significant depression. Regression analyses assessed possible predictors of CSSI-24 score. RESULTS: Depressive and somatic symptom scores were highest among the Jamaican children and lowest among the Colombian children (p < .001). Children with likely clinically significant depression exhibited higher mean somatic symptom scores (p < .001). Depressive symptom scores predicted somatic symptom scores (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms were a strong predictor of reporting somatic symptoms. Knowledge of this association may facilitate better recognition of depression among youth.

A psycho-social analysis of depression, anxiety and student engagement: Effects of parenting practices.

The extent to which students' level of depressive and anxiety symptoms and student engagement were predicted by parental emotional support, monitoring and harsh parenting was investigated using a series of multiple regression analyses. Grade six students from public primary schools (n = 293; 49% females, 51% males; mean age = 10 years) in Barbados completed the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale, a Parenting Questionnaire and an adapted Student Engagement scale. Students' level of depressive symptoms were predicted by parental emotional support and harsh parenting, but not by parental monitoring. With the exception of harsh parenting, neither parental emotional support nor parental monitoring were significant predictors of the anxiety levels of students. Student engagement was predicted by all three types of parenting practices. Limitations, recommendations for future research and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Validation of the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale in a Caribbean student sample.

BACKGROUND: Research on depression among Caribbean children has been limited by a lack of valid and reliable measures. We addressed this problem by exploring the internal consistency reliability and the concurrent and discriminant validity of the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Rating Scale (KADS) among a wide cross-section of the student population attending elementary schools in Jamaica and Barbados. METHODS: Students enrolled in grade 6 in a cross-section of schools in Jamaica and Barbados were invited to participate in the study. Schools included a balance of government-funded public schools and privately funded preparatory schools. All schools that were invited to participate accepted, and all grade 6 classrooms in each school were sampled. The following instruments were administered to the students during the fall semester of 2015: KADS, Adolescent Depression Rating Scale (ADRS), major depression disorder subscale of the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), and state and trait anxiety visual analogue scales. RESULTS: In total, 759 children (376 girls [49.5%] and 363 boys [47.8%]; in 20 cases [2.6%], sex was missing) with a mean age of 10.7 (standard deviation 0.66) years (median 11.0 yr) took part in the study. Overall, the KADS had an acceptable degree of reliability (α = 0.76). The instrument had reasonably good concurrent validity, as evidenced by strong correlations with scores on the ADRS (r = 0.62) and the major depression disorder subscale of the RCADS (r = -0.61). It had acceptable discriminant validity, as shown through low correlations with the state and trait anxiety visual analogue scales (r = 0.21 and 0.18, respectively). This pattern of results suggests that a large part (37%) of the variance underlying the KADS assesses depression, and a smaller degree of the variance (3%-4%) measures a conceptually similar but distinct concept. INTERPRETATION: The KADS is a reliable and valid measure for assessing depressive symptoms among Jamaican and Barbadian elementary school students. The sample may not be representative of all Caribbean children.

The role of family relations, spirituality and entertainment in moderating peer influence and drug use among students of eight universities from five countries in Latin America and three from the Caribbean / O papel das relações familiares, espiritualidade e diversão como moderadores entre a influência de pares e o uso de drogas entre estudantes de oito universidades de cinco paises da América Latina e três do Caribe / El papel de las relaciones familiares, espiritualidad y diversión como moderadores entre la influencia de pares y el uso de drogas entre estudiantes de ocho universidades de cinco países de America Latina y tres del Caribe

This study is a multi-centric investigation on the role of family relations, spirituality and entertainment in moderating the relationship between peer influence and drug use (licit and illicit) among students from eight universities from five countries in Latin-America and three from the Caribbean. The sample was composed by 2198 university students from faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities/Health Sciences. Drug use was the dependent variable and the level of peer influence (number of friends who use drugs) was the independent variable. The results showed that problematic family relationship, high number of party-based entertainment and high number of friends on drugs use (peer influence) increased the odds of youths using illicit drugs. The only interaction statistically significant for licit and illicit drug use was party-based entertainment and friends on drugs. The use of licit drugs presented large variability among universities in the sample, potentially influenced by cultural/religious aspects.

Trata-se de estudo multicêntrico, que analisa o papel das relações familiares, espiritualidade e entretenimento-festas como moderadores da relação entre a influência dos pares e o uso de drogas entre estudantes de oito universidades de cinco países da América Latina e três do Caribe. A amostra foi composta por 2198 estudantes de Faculdades de Ciências Sociais e de Ciências da Saúde. Uso de drogas foi a variável dependente e influência dos pares (número de amigos usando drogas), a independente. Os resultados mostraram que relações familiares problemáticas, participar de muitas festas e ter muitos amigos usando drogas aumentou a chance dos estudantes universitários da amostra usarem drogas ilícitas. A única interação estatisticamente significante para o uso de drogas lícitas ou ilícitas foi o entretenimento-festas/amigos usando drogas. O uso de drogas lícitas apresentou grande variabilidade entre as universidades da amostra, potencialmente influenciada por aspectos culturais/religiosos.

Estudio multicéntrico que analiza el papel de las relaciones familiares, la espiritualidad y la diversión-fiestas como moderadores de la relación entre la influencia de pares y el uso de drogas entre estudiantes de ocho universidades de cinco países de America Latina y tres del Caribe. La muestra fue composta de 2198 estudiantes de Facultades de Ciencias Sociales y de Ciencias de la Salud. El Uso de drogas fue la variable dependiente y la influencia de pares (número de alumnos usando drogas) la independiente. Los resultados indicaron que las relaciones familiares problemáticas, participar de muchas fiestas y tener muchos amigos utilizando drogas aumentó la oportunidad de los estudiantes de la muestra a utilizaren drogas ilícitas. La única interacción estadísticamente significante para el uso de drogas lícitas e ilícitas fue la diversión/fiestas/amigos usando drogas. El uso de drogas lícitas presenta grande variabilidad entre las universidades de la muestra, potencialmente influenciada por aspectos culturales/religiosos.

Spirituality, gender, and drug use among students from one University in Barbados / Espiritualidade, sexo e uso de drogas entre estudantes de uma universidade em Barbados / Espiritualidad, el sexo y el consumo de drogas entre los estudiantes de una universidad en Barbados

The research aimed to clarify the relationships between spirituality, gender, and drug use among undergraduate students of one university in Barbados. A quota sample of 250 students was required from the Faculty of Social Sciences as the study was part of a larger multi-centric study involving students from the Faculty of Social Sciences from seven other participating countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Significant negative relationships were found between a student's level of spirituality and their licit and illicit drug use over the past 12 and three months. Males and females also differed significantly in terms of illicit drug use (past 12 and three months). However no gender differences were found as it related to licit drug use. Moreover, females possessed significantly higher levels of spirituality than their male counterparts. Further qualitative research should be conducted among this age group within the Barbadian context to better explain these findings.

A pesquisa teve como objetivo esclarecer as relações entre espiritualidade , sexo e uso de drogas entre estudantes de graduação de uma universidade de Barbados. Uma amostra contingente de 250 estudantes foi exigido pela Faculdade de Ciências Sociais, uma vez que o estudo fez parte de um estudo multicêntrico maior, envolvendo os alunos da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais de outros sete países participantes da América Latina e do Caribe. Foram encontradas relações negativas significativas entre o nível de um estudante de espiritualidade e de seu uso de drogas lícitas e ilícitas nos últimos 12 e três meses. Homens e mulheres também diferiram significativamente em termos de uso de drogas ilícitas (últimos 12 e três meses) . No entanto, foram encontradas diferenças de gênero, relacionadas ao uso de drogas lícitas. Além disso, as mulheres possuíam níveis significativamente mais altos de espiritualidade do que suas contrapartes masculinas. Além disso, a pesquisa qualitativa deve ser realizada entre este grupo etário no contexto de Barbados para melhor explicar esses achados.

La investigación tuvo como objetivo aclarar la relación entre la espiritualidad , el sexo y el consumo de drogas entre los estudiantes de pregrado de una universidad en Barbados . Una muestra por cuotas de 250 estudiantes fue requerido por la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales como el estudio fue parte de un estudio multicéntrico grande que participen estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales de otros siete países participantes de América Latina y el Caribe . Relaciones negativas significativas fueron encontradas entre el nivel de un estudiante de la espiritualidad y de su uso de drogas lícitas e ilícitas en los últimos 12 y tres meses . Hombres y mujeres también difieren significativamente en términos de consumo de drogas ilícitas (últimos 12 y tres meses) . Sin embargo no se encontraron diferencias de género en su relación con el uso de drogas lícitas . Por otra parte , las mujeres poseían niveles significativamente más altos de espiritualidad que sus homólogos masculinos . Además la investigación cualitativa debe llevarse a cabo dentro de este grupo de edad en el contexto de Barbados para explicar mejor estos hallazgos .