Young Adolescents' Help Seeking Behaviors and Attitudes: An Examination of an Underserved Community.

Young adolescents' endorsement of help-seeking and reported levels of connectedness are vital for culturally-tailored prevention initiatives. There is a dearth of information on how younger adolescents attending middle schools (ages 11-15) obtain help from trusted adults, especially among Hispanics. This is problematic as Hispanics, especially female high school students, have consistently reported higher rates of depression and suicidal behaviors for over 30 years. This pilot study included 72 young adolescents (86% Hispanic) in Central Texas. Surprisingly, although there were significant gender and age differences, no group strongly endorsed seeking help during times of distress. Yet, females were more likely to report that they would talk to a counselor or other adult at school when distressed compared to males. While no gender differences were found endorsing trusted adults as helpful, younger female adolescents held higher beliefs these individuals could help during times of distress. What is most pivotal is that this study suggests that changes in help seeking attitudes can occur from one grade to another. Therefore, early adolescence, instead of the more common period of high school, might be a critical time to offer upstream mental health prevention approaches.

A longitudinal study of Latino and non-Hispanic mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms and its association with parent-child communication.

BACKGROUND: Roughly 8% of the U.S. population report moderate or severe depression for two or more weeks and Latinos (3.7%) report higher rates of severe depression compared to non-Hispanic whites (2.6%) (Pratt and Brody, 2014). As the Latino population continues to grow in the U.S., there is little research on the manifestations for depression, and how this affects the family system longitudinally. METHODS: Based on data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a 3-step latent class analysis examined the association of self-reported parental depressive symptoms and their children's perceived levels of closeness and openness to communicate with their parents over 9 years (N=3956 families). RESULTS: Latino parents reported four different depressive patterns, while non-Hispanic parents were more diversified and had six patterns in terms of latent class analysis. Latinos reported episodic symptoms, while NH parents were more likely to report chronic depressive symptoms over time. Regardless of race/ethnicity, parental depressive symptoms negatively affected their children's reported level of parental closeness and openness to communicate with mothers and fathers. LIMITATIONS: As with any self-report data, the risk of social desirability bias is likely still present. Additionally, these results cannot be generalized to the broader U.S. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the different mental health presentations over 9 years, and following the federal initiatives (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015) of early and consistent surveillance, we advise that clinicians and primary care physicians screen for depressive symptoms at least yearly.

A longitudinal examination of how mothers' and fathers' mental health and thoughts of death are related to their child's self-reported levels of parental connectedness.

Background: Mental health outcomes are often passed-down in families, which underscores the importance of understanding mechanisms related to positive health outcomes. We focus on parent-child connectedness, which has been shown to not only decrease children's distress but strengthens their social coping resources. Methods: Utilizing four waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national study of nearly 5000 mostly unmarried parents, we observed the influence of parents' depressive symptoms and thoughts of death (TOD) on their 9-year-old child's self-reported levels of connectedness to their parents. Results: Mothers and fathers reported similar rates of depression over time, with peak symptomology when their child turned 3 years old and declining levels as their children grew older. Compared to children whose mothers reported no symptoms, children whose mothers reported chronic depression and TOD were > 7 times as likely (OR = 8.13, p < 0.001) to report feeling distant from their mother, even if depression and TOD were only periodic (OR = 5.94, p < 0.001) or if their mother only reported depression (OR = 4.00, p = 0.002). Fathers reporting chronic depression earlier in their child's life had the highest odds of low child-reported connectedness (OR = 4.42, p < 0.001), but onset later in their child's lives (ages 5 and 9) also resulted in low reported connectedness from their children (OR = 2.73, p = 0.048). Conclusions: Given the ramifications of parental mental health for parent-child connectedness, upstream prevention approaches, such as screening in pediatricians' offices may be a key objective for mental health promotion. As trusted adults play critical roles in children's lives, universal prevention highlighting family bonds for new parents may be a salient intervention focus.

The Relationship Between Suicide Ideation, Behavioral Health, and College Academic Performance.

The impact of suicidal ideation on college students' academic performance has yet to be examined, yet mental health is often linked with academic performance. Underclassmen and upperclassmen were compared on behavioral health outcomes related to academic success (N = 26,457). Ideation (b = -0.05, p < .05), increased mental health (b = -0.03, p < .01) or substance use severity (b = -0.02, p < .01) was associated with lower GPAs. Underclassmen's behavioral health severity was related to lower GPA. Students reported higher GPAs when participating in extracurricular activities during the past year. Ideation, beyond mental health, is an important when assessing academic performance. Increasing students' connections benefits students experiencing behavioral concerns but also aids in suicide prevention initiatives and improves academic outcomes. Creating integrated health care systems on campus where physical, mental health and academic support services is crucial to offer solutions for students with severe or co-morbid mental health histories.