The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #57496

Lise E Fried, MS¹, Karen Ann Hacker, MD, MPH¹, Howard J Cabral, PhD², Juhee Kim, MS¹, Tina M Alu, BA³, and Jack D Burke, MD, MPH⁴. (1) Institute for Community Health, 119 Windsor Street, Ground Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617-665-3809, lfried@challiance.org, (2) Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St, Talbot Bldg, Boston, MA 02118, (3) Family Planning Program, Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee, Inc, 11 Inman Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, (4) Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Previous research has shown that girls and women who have been victims of violence are more likely to be depressed. Depression has also been linked to health risk behaviors. Using the local Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) 2000 from an urban community near Boston, Massachusetts, the current study looked at the interrelationship between three factors: exposure to family and dating violence; self-reported depression; and health risk behaviors. The study explored whether violence and depression are independently related to the health behaviors, as well as assessed interactions between the three variables. There were 1493 students who completed this YRBS, 726 (48.6%) were female. The majority of the young women were 14-17 years old. The study sample was racially and ethnically diverse. 26.9% were not born in the US. Analyses showed that 49% of the young women indicated that they were worried about depression sometimes, often, or always. The depressed young women were 1.4 (95%CI=1.1, 1.7) more likely to have been physically hurt in the past 12 months and 1.5 (95%CI= 1.2, 1.8) times more likely to have been sexually hurt in the past 12 months. Those who had been physically hurt by a family member showed increased risks in a number of areas including being more likely to consider themselves overweight, to have had sexual intercourse, and to have asthma. Further analyses will look at the interaction between depression, exposure to family and dating violence, characteristics, and health behaviors, including having sexual intercourse, condom use, and, drug and alcohol use.

Learning Objectives:

Session participants will be able to:
• describe the relationship between depression, family and dating violence, and health behaviors in adolescent females;
• discuss the research knowledge in this area and evaluate the status of this knowledge; and
• articulate the interventions opportunites so that violence and depression can be reduced and mental health improved.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.