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

Abstract #117863

Lynne Fullerton-Gleason, PhD¹, Robert Sapien, MD¹, and Karen Gaylord, ABD². (1) Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, MSC10 5560, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, (505) 272-5062, lfullerton@salud.unm.edu, (2) New Mexico Department of Health, PO BOX 26110, Santa Fe, NM 87502

Introduction: Violence victimization during childhood correlates with suicide attempts and other unhealthy adolescent behaviors including drug use, criminal behavior, and sexual activity. This study identifies factors correlated with adolescent resilience to unhealthy behaviors among a sample of children with a history of abuse.

Methods: New Mexico schoolchildren ages 11 to 19 years were surveyed using the Attitudes and Behaviors module of the Search Institutes Profiles of Student Life. Questions were grouped based on content, and composite variables were created in the following categories: Predictor (abuse at home); Outcome (suicide attempts, depression, drug use, criminal behavior, sexual activity); and resiliency factors (parental investment; self-value/life purpose; spirituality/religion).

Results: Of 10,814 schoolchildren, 3,012 (27.8%) reported being injured by a family member or coresident. Within this group, parental investment as measured by time spent helping children with school activities was significantly correlated with all risk behaviors (all p-values < .0001). For example, among low-investing parents, soft drug use was infrequent among 28.4% of children and frequent among 41.2%. Among high-investing parents, the rates were 44.0% and 27.6%, respectively.

The relationship between resiliency variables and suicide was tested. The prevalence of attempts decreased with increasing values of children's self-worth and levels of parental investment. For example, 50.6% of children with low self-worth scores had a history of suicide attempts, contrasted with 15.1% among children with high scores.

Conclusion: Among children with a history of abuse, resilience to unhealthy behaviors is correlated with several factors amenable to modification, including parenting strategies and children's feelings of self-worth.

Learning Objectives: Learning objectives

At the conclusion of this presentation, listeners will be able to
• understand the relationship between child abuse and adolescent risk behaviors; and
• identify modifiable factors that reduce risk behavior prevalence among children with a history of physical abuse.

Keywords: Risky Behaviors, Youth

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.

Recorded presentation

Issues in Suicide Research

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA