Elaine Walsh, PhD¹, Elaine Adams Thompson, PhD, RN¹, Jerald R. Herting, PhD¹, and Brooke P. Randell, DNSc, CS². (1) Psychosocial and Community Health, University of Washington, Box 357263, Seattle, WA 98195, (206)685-8110, emwalsh@u.washington.edu, (2) Psychosocial and Community Health, Universitiy of Washington, Box 357263, Seattle, WA 98195

This study addresses a challenge in adolescent health, the co-occurrence of drug involvement and mental health problems. The relationship between adolescent drug use and suicide risk behaviors is established, but poorly understood. Descriptive studies of adolescent drug use exist, but rarely examine the longitudinal relationship of drug use and mental health problems, simultaneously. This study extends our knowledge by describing patterns of change in adolescent drug involvement across time, and determining if risk/protective factors differentially predict these patterns. This study will also explore covariance of drug involvement patterns with suicide risk behaviors. Study aims are to: (1) specify trajectories of modal drug involvement among suicide-risk youth across 30 months; (2) identify key risk and protective factors predictive of the drug involvement trajectories; and (3) explore the co-occurrence of drug involvement and suicide risk behaviors across time. To capture patterns of change in drug involvement a large, longitudinal sample is needed. Data are from 425 suicide risk high school youth, grades 9-12, who participated in a larger study. This sample is ethnically diverse. Growth mixture modeling is used to specify change trajectories, with inclusion of predictor and time-varying covariates. The findings inform research efforts necessary to design preventive interventions for decreasing the devastating effects that stem from the co-occurrence of adolescent drug involvement and suicide risk behaviors.

Learning Objectives: Following participation in this session, participants will be able to

(
• Identify key trajectories of drug involvement among suicide-risk adolescents across time. (
• Articulate the relative contribution of risk and protective factors in predicting drug involvement trajectories, and the relative role of suicide risk behaviors. (
• Extrapolate mental health implications for indicated preventive interventions based on this knowledge.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Drug Use

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.