Problem: Over 8% of adolescents in the U.S. suffer from depression. Each year one in five high school students contemplate suicide, over 400,000 attempt suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death. There is little to no literature that addresses depression in Arab American (ArA) youth, a growing population in the U.S. and of special interest, since the events of September 11, 2001. This sample was derived from a larger study exploring tobacco use in ArA youth. Theoretical Framework: The Adolescent Tobacco Use Model designed to identify moderating and mediating forces found to influence tobacco use in adolescents was used to guide the larger study. Methodology/Design: A sample of 1,297 (647 males and 650 females), 14 to 18 year old ArA, completed a number of measures including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a self-report scale measuring depressive symptomatology, in this community-based study. A two-factor model of depression was used - Depressive Affect and Negative Outlook. Each factor was examined separately. Results: Multiple linear regression accounted for 35% of the variance in the Depressive Affect factor with 8 predictors. Primary predictors were self-esteem, adolescent hassles, and poor perceived health. Current cigarette smoking was a significant predictor but accounted for only .5% additional variance. The model accounted for 17% of the variance in the Negative Outlook factor with three predictors—self-esteem, student’s age, and poor perceived health. ArA males scored lower on Depressive Affect and Negative Outlook (M=13.39; SD=11.09; M=18.92; SD=13.48, respectively) than ArA females (M=15.19; SD=11.77; M=19.47; SD=13.25, respectively). Interpretation/Relevancy: The model was more successful in predicting depression than negative outlook with the combination of high hassles and low self-esteem predicting depression but not negative outlook. These results underscore the value in distinguishing distinct CES-D dimensions in screening depression Arabic youth.
Session #1212 - Adolscent Issues in the Community
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)