Cyberbullying and Victimization and Youth Suicide Risk: The Buffering Effects of School Connectedness.

Bullying has been linked to adolescent suicidal behavior. With dramatic increases in social media use among youth, understanding the influence of cyberbullying on adolescent suicidal behavior has become central to prevention efforts. This study examined the potential protective role of school connectedness in the relationship between cyberbullying and suicide risk behavior. Data were from 93 adolescents participating in a longitudinal study of an intervention to prevent health-risk behavior including suicidal behavior. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to examine the influence of cyberbullying and school connectedness on adolescent suicidal behavior. Findings indicated that being a victim of cyberbullying, but not a perpetrator, was associated with increased risk of suicide and that connections to school moderated this relationship in that, among youth who were victims of cyberbullying, those more connected to school were less likely to report suicidal behavior. Implications for school-based suicide prevention and school nurse practice are discussed.

Emergence of Depressive Symptoms from Kindergarten to Sixth Grade.

This study documents the emergence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in a community sample of school-age children and describes the temporal progression of symptoms leading to depressive episodes. Caregivers of 468 seventh graders reported retrospectively the manifestation of 14 symptoms of depression and anxiety in their children from kindergarten through sixth grade. The sample was balanced by sex and reflected the racial and economic diversity of the urban school district. Childhood period prevalence was calculated for each symptom, and discrete time survival analyses compared likelihoods of early symptom emergence in children who did and did not meet diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) by ninth grade. Symptom prevalence ranged between 20% (excessive guilt) and 50% (concentration problems) during the elementary school years. The 4-year period prevalence of MDD was 8.9%, 95% confidence interval [6.5%, 12.1%]. Low energy, excessive worry, excessive guilt, anhedonia, social withdrawal, and sadness or depressed mood were each associated with a significantly higher likelihood of onset of MDD. Compared to girls, boys were more likely to exhibit sad mood, fatigue, and trouble concentrating. Children who later met criteria for MDD demonstrated a significantly higher likelihood of showing core features of depressive and anxiety disorders during their elementary school years. The findings underscore the importance of recognizing early signs and developing interventions to help children manage early symptoms and prevent later psychiatric illness.

Ethnic Variations of Trajectories in Suicide Ideation and Attempt: From Middle School to High School.

The purpose of this study was to compare patterns of suicide ideation and suicide attempt in three ethnic groups. We analyzed data from 463 students with ethnic backgrounds of African American (AA), Asian American (ASA), and European American (EA) for 6 years. The best fit model was a three-trajectory class model for all groups. The majority of adolescents belonged in the nonideators trajectory. The high level of ideation was found in the high ideators (4%), high-fluctuating ideators (8%), and high-decreasing ideators (4%) trajectory in AA, ASA, and EA, respectively. In the AA group, being a member of ideators was not a significant predictor of suicide attempt. In the ASA group, being a member of high-fluctuating ideators was a significant predictor. In the EA group, being a member of both ideators predicted suicide attempt. The timing of onset, patterns of change, and peak time in the ideators trajectories in the three ethnic groups were markedly different. The high level of attempts found in the ASA-AA group was not explained by having suicide ideation. Findings suggest the need for in-depth examination of suicide behaviors across ethnic groups and culturally adapted preventive efforts with distinct developmental timing for adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds.

Comparing Mental Health of US Children of Immigrants and Non-Immigrants in 4 Racial/Ethnic Groups.

BACKGROUND: To compare the mental health status of children of immigrant (COI) and non-immigrant (NI) parents and to determine whether differences in mental health status between COI and NI vary across 4 racial/ethnic groups. METHODS: We conducted universal mental health screening of 2374 sixth graders in an urban public school district. To screen, we administered well-validated adolescent depression and disruptive behavior problem questionnaires. We evaluated associations between child mental health, parent immigration status, and race/ethnicity using binomial regression. RESULTS: Among Asian American/Pacific Islanders and Latinos, COI had significantly higher depression and disruptive behavior scores compared to NI. For Blacks/African Americans, children of NI parents had significantly higher disruptive behavior scores compared to COI. For European Americans, scores of COI and NI did not differ and were relatively low. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that how the emotional health of COI is faring relative to children of NI depends on the child's race/ethnicity.

Trajectories of parent-adolescent relationship quality among at-risk youth: parental depression and adolescent developmental outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Although the parent-adolescent relationship has been studied intensely, predictors and consequences of changes in the quality of the relationship across time have not been examined. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the role of parent depression on changes in the parent-adolescent relationship, defined as support and conflict, and subsequent effects of relationship change on adolescent psychosocial outcomes including risky behavior, substance use, depressive symptoms, and hopelessness. METHOD: Using data from a large prevention study, the sample included 110 youth at risk for high school drop out from the control condition; the sample was 48.2% of female, with a mean age of 15.9years. The data, gathered from adolescents and their parents across a period of approximately 18months, were analyzed using growth mixture modeling. RESULTS: Three distinct trajectories for parent-adolescent conflict (high-decreasing, low-increasing, low-stable trajectory) were identified as well as a single growth model for support, which revealed a slight decline in support across time. Parent depression was a significant predictor of perceived support, but not of membership in trajectories of conflict. Low parent-adolescent support was associated with adolescent depression and hopelessness measured 18months post-baseline. Adolescents in the low but increasing conflict trajectory and those having a parent with depression reported increased depression and hopelessness 18months later. DISCUSSION: Parent-Adolescent support and conflict were associated with adolescent emotional outcomes, particularly depression and hopelessness. The findings provide evidence that will inform prevention strategies to facilitate parent-adolescent support, minimize the negative impact of relationship conflict, and thereby promote healthy psychosocial outcomes for at-risk adolescence.

[Mothers' experience of caregiving for their children with schizophrenia].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore Korean mothers' experiences of caregiving for their adult children with schizophrenia. METHOD: A iterative descriptive qualitative research design was used to understand and explain the caregiving experience from the perspective of mothers. The data were collected by individual in-depth interviews and one focus group interview from 11 mothers. The ages of the participants ranged from 50 to 60 years old and the ages of their sick children ranged from late 20s to early 40s. RESULTS: Three major themes were identified from qualitative thematic analysis: (a) "emotional debris from the disease," (b) "the disease that makes mothers dumb" (c) "space of rational reason." CONCLUSIONS: This study would provide health care professionals insights in establishing intervention for mothers by deeply understanding the process of recognition and acceptance of their children with schizophrenia.