Lindsay Stark1, Ilana Seff2, Flora Cohen1, Jeremy Aldrich3, Carine Allaf4. 1. Brown School, Washington University, Campus Box 1196, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. 2. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA. 3. Harrisonburg City Public Schools, 1 Court Square, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, USA. 4. Qatar Foundation International, 1225 New York Ave NW #500, Washington, D. C 20005, USA.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: There is substantial evidence linking stressful life events (SLEs) in childhood to poor mental health later in life, but few studies explore how various types of SLEs differentially impact mental health. The purpose of this study is to assess associations between SLEs and psychosocial outcomes in a diverse adolescent population in the USA and to examine whether and how these relationships are gendered. METHODS: The sample comprises 181 high school students ages 13-21 years in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This study analyzed associations between 12 SLEs and eight psychosocial outcomes using ordinary least-squares and logistic regressions. Relationships were estimated for the full sample and for males and females, separately. RESULTS: For boys, having ever been forced to leave one's family was associated with declines in resilience (B = - 4.646; 95% CI (- 8.79, - 0.50)) and increases in externalizing symptoms (B = 0.392; 95% CI (0.15, 0.63)). Furthermore, boys who experienced a drastic change in their family reported lower levels of school belonging (B = - 9.272; 95% CI (- 17.45, - 1.09)). For girls, having ever been forced to leave one's family was associated with decreases in depressive (B = - 0.961; 95% CI (- 1.88, - 0.05)) and anxiety symptomology (B = - 0.868; 95% CI (- 1.68, - 0.06)). Overall, students who experienced a life-threatening emergency exhibited greater depressive (B = 0.445; 95% CI (0.15, 0.74)) and anxiety symptoms (B = 0.287; 95% CI (0.05, 0.52)), and depressive symptomology was also associated with having ever been physically hurt by someone (B = 0.224; 95% CI (0.01, 0.44)). CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide insights into how exposures might engender different mental health processes and outcomes, and how these processes may manifest differently across gender.
INTRODUCTION: There is substantial evidence linking stressful life events (SLEs) in childhood to poor mental health later in life, but few studies explore how various types of SLEs differentially impact mental health. The purpose of this study is to assess associations between SLEs and psychosocial outcomes in a diverse adolescent population in the USA and to examine whether and how these relationships are gendered. METHODS: The sample comprises 181 high school students ages 13-21 years in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This study analyzed associations between 12 SLEs and eight psychosocial outcomes using ordinary least-squares and logistic regressions. Relationships were estimated for the full sample and for males and females, separately. RESULTS: For boys, having ever been forced to leave one's family was associated with declines in resilience (B = - 4.646; 95% CI (- 8.79, - 0.50)) and increases in externalizing symptoms (B = 0.392; 95% CI (0.15, 0.63)). Furthermore, boys who experienced a drastic change in their family reported lower levels of school belonging (B = - 9.272; 95% CI (- 17.45, - 1.09)). For girls, having ever been forced to leave one's family was associated with decreases in depressive (B = - 0.961; 95% CI (- 1.88, - 0.05)) and anxiety symptomology (B = - 0.868; 95% CI (- 1.68, - 0.06)). Overall, students who experienced a life-threatening emergency exhibited greater depressive (B = 0.445; 95% CI (0.15, 0.74)) and anxiety symptoms (B = 0.287; 95% CI (0.05, 0.52)), and depressive symptomology was also associated with having ever been physically hurt by someone (B = 0.224; 95% CI (0.01, 0.44)). CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide insights into how exposures might engender different mental health processes and outcomes, and how these processes may manifest differently across gender.
Entities:
Keywords:
Adolescents; Adverse childhood experiences; Gender; Mental health
Authors: Robert F Anda; Vincent J Felitti; J Douglas Bremner; John D Walker; Charles Whitfield; Bruce D Perry; Shanta R Dube; Wayne H Giles Journal: Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 2005-11-29 Impact factor: 5.270
Authors: Daniel P Chapman; Charles L Whitfield; Vincent J Felitti; Shanta R Dube; Valerie J Edwards; Robert F Anda Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2004-10-15 Impact factor: 4.839