Depression and substance use in minority middle-school students

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between depression and substance use in a sample of middle-school students. METHODS: The 5721 students (59%-63% Hispanic) completed self-report items on depressive symptoms, recent smoking and binge drinking, and lifetime use of marijuana, cocaine, and inhalants. RESULTS: Symptoms of depression were strongly and positively related to substance use. For every type of use, a stepwise increase was seen between the percentage of students with low symptom frequency and the percentage of students with more symptoms. A sizable number of users reported symptoms indicating major depression. Depression scores showed few clinically meaningful differences among demographic subgroups. Substance use scores, in contrast, showed meaningful intergroup differences for racial/ethnic group and other demographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms and substance use were associated in a sample of middle-school students who were largely non-White and predominantly Hispanic. Greater understanding of the nature of this association is needed; this understanding should be used to design prevention programs, and prevention programs should be introduced at least in the middle-school years.

Enduring Effects of Prenatal and Infancy Home Visiting by Nurses on Children

“…As in other studies, 28 internalizing disorders and substance use were strongly associated (p<.001). Sixty percent of the control-group children who reported using substances also reported having internalizing disorders in the borderline/clinical range; and among those with internalizing disorders, the rate of substance use was 5 times higher (11%) than among those without internalizing disorders (2%).…”

Middle School Drinking: Who, Where, and When

“…As might be expected, boys were most likely to be represented in the higher lifetime-use groups as well as children in the eighth grade. The strength of grade rather than age differences suggest contextual changes may be important in understanding the significant shifts in drinking onset and progression to heavy use during middle school (Guilamo-Ramos et al, 2005; Kelder et al, 2001). Interestingly, being African American predicted current drinking behavior (average, heavy episodic, maximum drinks).…”

“…However, extreme caution should be used in interpreting these results as the number of African-American students within this sample of current drinkers was quite small ( N =30) and reflect students living within a restricted geographic area. Research examining ethnic differences in drinking among a large sample of middle school students ( N =5,721) found that African-American students were engaging in binge drinking at rates higher than any other racial or ethnic group (Kelder et al, 2001). Recent work suggests that racial/ethnic differences, such as being African American, should be considered in combination with other moderators (e.g., gender, self-esteem) when considering heavy episodic drinking in middle school (Patrick & Schulenberg, 2010).…”

“…Social contextual features were expected to be the most consistent predictor of current drinking intensity. Given the impact of gender, age, and race/ethnicity in past models of early adolescent alcohol involvement (Kelder et al, 2001; MacPherson, Frissell, Brown, & Myers, 2006; Patrick & Schulenberg, 2010; Wills et al, 2006), the influence of these variables on the estimation of these models was also considered.…”

The Moderating Effect of Marijuana Use on the Relationship Between Delinquent Behavior and HIV Risk Among Adolescents in Foster Care

“…The ability to emotionally self-regulate is compromised when healthy attachment bonds are disrupted, which is common among children who are abused and no longer live with their biological parents (Racusin, Maerlender, Sengupta, Isquith & Straus, 2005). In the absence of sufficient internal resources, adolescents may use unhealthy methods to cope with these problems (Spaccarelli, 1994), such as using substances to self-medicate or alleviate distressing symptoms (Kelder et al, 2001). These maladaptive coping responses may increase adolescents’ risk for a range of risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex and other HIV risk behaviors.…”