Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109631

Ebele Okpokwasili, BA, Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine at Rockford, Department of Family and Community Medicine, 1601 parkview ave, Rockford, IL 61107, 908-770-8098, bokpok1@uic.edu and May Nawal Lutfiyya, PhD, Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, IL 61107.

Introduction: The research question asked in this study is: Does clinical depression and/or suicidal ideation, planning or attempt (as a single combined variable) have a dependent relationship with exposure to and/or being a victim of violence. Methods: Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed on data from the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to examine theses factors in adolescents ages 14 through 18. Clinical depression and the combined planned suicide variable comprised the dependent variables for this study. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis on the combined suicide dependent variable yielded that youth had increased odds for weapon possession (OR 1.274), being a victim of violence (OR 1.269), being clinically depressed (OR 5.826) and decreased odds for physically fighting (OR .876). Multivariate analysis using clinical depression as the dependent variable yielded that youth had increased odds for engaging in physical fighting (OR 1.139) being female (OR 1.603) being a victim of violence (OR 1.636) having thought about, planned or attempted suicide (OR 6.831) and decreased odds for weapon possession (OR .736). Discussion: As hypothesized, clinical depression and suicidal ideation, planning or attempt were significantly associated with being a victim of violence. The results of this research dovetail with other work suggesting that exposure to violence as a victim or a witness can have severe consequences for youths. Additional research is needed to both develop successful interventions to quell violence and protect youth from exposure to it, as well as to identify protective factors regarding exposure to violence.

Learning Objectives:

• To learn about the connections between exposure to violence and depression.
• To investigate the prevalence of suicide ideation or attempt with weapons possession.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.