Sarah H. Ailey, PhD, RN¹, Julia Muennich Cowell, PhD, RNC, FAAN¹, Diane B. McNaughton, PhD, RN², Louis Fogg, PhD³, and Deborah A. Gross, DNSc, RN¹. (1) College of Nursing, Community and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, 600 S. Paulina Street, 1080 AAC, Chicago, IL 60612, 312-942-3383, sarah_h_ailey@rush.edu, (2) Department of Community and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University College of Nursing, 600 S. Paulina Street, Suite 1080, Chicago, IL 60612, (3) Community and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, 600 South Paulina, Chicago, IL 60612

The suicide rate among Mexican-American teenagers has been found to be nearly double the national rate, but little research exists on suicide and suicidal ideation among younger students. Health conceptions influence mental health status. However, studies to date have not explored the relation of health conceptions to the mental health of diverse groups of children. The purpose of this study is to describe the relation of health conceptions to depression and suicidal ideation of Mexican American schoolchildren. Two hundred twenty-nine Mexican American 4th and 5th grade students participated in the first five waves of the Mexican American Problem Solving Program (MAPS), a mother-child focused problem solving intervention. As part of the assessments in the program, children respond to a depression measure, the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) (Kovacs, 1982) and to a measure of health conceptions, the Child Health Self Concept Scale (CHSC) (Hester, 1984). Scores on the CDI were highly negatively correlated to scores on the CHSC (r=-.64 p=.001). Referrals for high depression scores were made for 33.5% of the children. Further, 34.8% of the children endorsed the statement “I think about killing myself but I would not do it.” However, 53.5% of students who expressed suicidal ideation did not have depression scores high enough for referral. Descriptive methods are used to explore the health conceptions of the children and how the conceptions relate to depression and suicidal ideation. The potential application of heath conception information to mental health promotion and suicide prevention in Mexican American children will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of the session, participants will 1). Be able to describe child health conceptions related to depression and suicidal ideation in Mexican-American children
• 2). Discuss potential aspects of mental health promotion for Mexican-American school children

Keywords: Child/Adolescent Mental Health, Suicide

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.