%0 Journal Article %J J Adolesc Health %D 2011 %T An examination of the validity of retrospective measures of suicide attempts in youth. %A Mazza, James J %A Catalano, Richard F %A Abbott, Robert D %A Haggerty, Kevin P %K Adolescent %K Anxiety %K Attitude to Health %K Child %K Comorbidity %K Depression %K Female %K Humans %K Impulsive Behavior %K Interpersonal Relations %K Longitudinal Studies %K Male %K Peer Group %K Retrospective Studies %K Risk Factors %K Risk-Taking %K Self Concept %K Socioeconomic Factors %K Suicide, Attempted %K United States %K Young Adult %X

PURPOSE: This study used prospective data to investigate the validity of a retrospective measure of suicide attempts from four different perspectives.

METHODS: Data were retrieved from 883 participants in the Raising Healthy Children project, a longitudinal study of youth recruited from a Pacific Northwest school district. The retrospective measure was collected when participants were 18-19 years of age and results were compared with measures of depressive symptoms collected prospectively.

RESULTS: Results showed strong corroboration between retrospective reports of first suicide attempt and prospective measures of depression, with attempters experiencing significantly more depression than their nonattempting peers, t (df = 853) = 10.26, p < .001. In addition, within the attempter group, depression scores during the year of their reported first attempt were significantly higher than the average depression score across previous years, t (df = 67) = 3.01, p < .01.

CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study suggest that the reports of older adolescents regarding their suicide attempts are corroborated by their prospective reports of depression in childhood and earlier adolescence. Thus, there is support that retrospective measures of suicidal behavior, namely suicide attempts, may be a valid method of assessment.

%B J Adolesc Health %V 49 %P 532-7 %8 2011 Nov %G eng %N 5 %R 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.04.009 %0 Journal Article %J J Youth Adolesc %D 2010 %T Identifying trajectories of adolescents' depressive phenomena: an examination of early risk factors. %A Mazza, James J %A Fleming, Charles B %A Abbott, Robert D %A Haggerty, Kevin P %A Catalano, Richard F %K Adolescent %K Antisocial Personality Disorder %K Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity %K Depression %K Female %K Humans %K Male %K Parents %K Risk Factors %K Sex Factors %K Socioeconomic Factors %K Stress, Psychological %K Surveys and Questionnaires %X

Few studies have examined risk factors of childhood and early adolescent depressive symptomatology trajectories. This study examined self-report depressive symptomatology across a 6-year time period from 2nd to 8th grade to identify latent groups of individuals with similar patterns of depressive phenomena in a sample of 951 children (440 girls, 511 boys). Analyses, using semiparametric group modeling (SGM), identified 5 trajectory groups for girls and boys: low depressed stables, low depressed risers, mildly depressed stables, moderately depressed changers, and moderately depressed risers. Individual risk factors, with the exception of shy/withdrawn behavior, were significantly different across trajectory group membership for boys and girls, as was low-income status for boys. Boys in the low depressed and mildly depressed stable trajectory groups had significantly higher levels of antisocial behavior, attention problems, and lower social competency compared to girls in similar groups. These results suggest that universal prevention programs implemented in early elementary school that target selected risk factors may be helpful in reducing future adolescent mental health problems, specifically depressive symptomatology.

%B J Youth Adolesc %V 39 %P 579-93 %8 2010 Jun %G eng %N 6 %R 10.1007/s10964-009-9406-z