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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Rebecca M. B. White, MPH¹, Delia Saenz, PhD², Mark Roosa, PhD¹, Nancy Gonzales, PhD³, George Knight, PhD³, and Rajni L. Nair, MS¹. (1) Department of Family and Human Development & Prevention Research Center, Arizona State University, PO Box 872502, Tempe, AZ 85287-2502, 480-727-6134, rebecca.white@asu.edu, (2) Department of Psychology & Prevention Research Center, Arizona State University, Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, (3) Department of Psycholgoy & Prevention Research Center, Arizona State University, Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104

BACKGROUND: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority population in the U.S. Despite the fact that Mexican Americans are the largest Latino subgroup, and that some research shows increased mental health problems among Mexican Americans, little is known about risk and protective factors for mental illness within this group. METHODS: Data come from the first year of an ongoing longitudinal studying investigating the role of culture and context in the lives of Mexican American families. To date, over 1,700 Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) with Mexican American students enrolled in the 5th grade, their mothers, and fathers have been completed. Mental health status is assessed using both mother and child report on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) RESULTS: Preliminary results are based on the first cohort's data (n=352 5th graders). These data show that as many as 39% of boys and 44% of girls meet lifetime diagnostic criteria for any anxiety disorder, eating disorder, mood disorder, disruptive behavior disorder, and/or alcohol and substance abuse disorder. Disease-specific child-report and mother-report rates will be presented. Further, we explore specific aspects of risk and resilience, including individual (e.g., gender, nativity, pubertal status), socioeconomic, and contextual characteristics using logistic regression analyses. IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study help to inform public health practitioners about which subgroups of Mexican Americans should be targeted for interventions by highlighting risk and protective factors among this population.

Learning Objectives: