The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #58220

Anita Chandra, MPH and Ameena Batada, MPH. Population and Family Health Sciences/ Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 2007 E. Monument St., Baltimore, MD 21205, 4106145155, achandra@jhsph.edu

The youth perspective is noticeably missing from the limited work on adolescent mental health issues in the African American population. We know that stressful experiences and how teenagers cope with these challenges is a key factor in the onset and maintenance of a wide range of psychological distress and psychopathology during adolescence. However, we know very little about how minority teens confront stress. This study utilizes the youth “voice” to explore the appraisal of stress and the use of coping strategies among a sample of 26 urban, African American 9th graders. Through a series of quantitative (questionnaires, pile sort, personal network maps) and qualitative methods (audio journals, focus groups, interviews), the project examines how these teens, their primary caregivers, and youth service providers discuss adolescent stress and where the opportunity for improvement in mental health services exists for this population. The study findings highlight the inconsistencies between adult and adolescent notions of what constitutes stress. In addition, the research describes how the relationships with friends and key adults are helpful for teens in coping with stress. The project elucidates how current frameworks for understanding stress and coping fail to account for the significance of the teen viewpoint. A new model for describing stress and coping with this youth perspective and recommendations for how the framework can inform mental health service provision for this community will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to:
• Discuss how a sample of African American teens perceive stress and cope with this stress
• Identify opportunities for intervention and areas for improvement in mental health services for this population
• Describe ways to use a youth-driven approach to frame an adolescent mental health issue

Keywords: Minority Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.