Is Depression Related to Health-Risk Behaviors among Adolescents?

School Name

Governor's School for Science & Mathematics

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Psychology and Sociology

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Kate Flory, University of South Carolina

Oral Presentation Award

3rd Place

Abstract

A number of children tend to have emotional or behavioral disorders of which their parents are unaware. Many children, who have been diagnosed with emotional or behavioral disorders, are not receiving the correct help, or any help, they need in order to get better. The USC Project to Learn about Youth has conducted research on a diverse school district within South Carolina to estimate how many adolescents in grades K-12 have some of these health concerns. A more focused goal was to see if there was an association between elevated depression and health-risk behaviors among these adolescents. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale Survey (RCADS), were used to monitor risky behaviors in which students had taken part and depressive symptoms that the students were experiencing, respectively. The answers to the questions were dichotomized from 0-2 points; 0 being a not risky answer and 2 being the riskiest answer. With the use of two of these self-reported surveys from the children in grades 4-12 and a complex data system, a direct relationship was found between elevated depression and texting while driving as well as between elevated depression and alcohol use. Although there was some association found, the results should be viewed with caution, as the sample size was significantly smaller than hoped for and there was no indication telling whether or not the children drank because they were depressed, or were depressed because they drank.

Location

Wall 322

Start Date

3-25-2017 10:45 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 25th, 10:45 AM

Is Depression Related to Health-Risk Behaviors among Adolescents?

Wall 322

A number of children tend to have emotional or behavioral disorders of which their parents are unaware. Many children, who have been diagnosed with emotional or behavioral disorders, are not receiving the correct help, or any help, they need in order to get better. The USC Project to Learn about Youth has conducted research on a diverse school district within South Carolina to estimate how many adolescents in grades K-12 have some of these health concerns. A more focused goal was to see if there was an association between elevated depression and health-risk behaviors among these adolescents. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale Survey (RCADS), were used to monitor risky behaviors in which students had taken part and depressive symptoms that the students were experiencing, respectively. The answers to the questions were dichotomized from 0-2 points; 0 being a not risky answer and 2 being the riskiest answer. With the use of two of these self-reported surveys from the children in grades 4-12 and a complex data system, a direct relationship was found between elevated depression and texting while driving as well as between elevated depression and alcohol use. Although there was some association found, the results should be viewed with caution, as the sample size was significantly smaller than hoped for and there was no indication telling whether or not the children drank because they were depressed, or were depressed because they drank.