 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Julia Muennich Cowell, PhD, RNC, FAAN1, Sarah H. Ailey, PhD, RN2, Diane B. McNaughton, PhD, RN3, Deborah A. Gross, DNSc, RN1, and Louis Fogg, PhD4. (1) College of Nursing, Community and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, 600 South Paulina, 1080 Armour Academic Center, Chicago, IL 60612, (312) 942-5836, julia_cowell@rush.edu, (2) Community and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Rush Univeristy, 600 South Paulina, Chicago, IL 60612, (3) Department of Community and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University College of Nursing, 600 S. Paulina Street, Suite 1080, Chicago, IL 60612, (4) Community and Mental Health Nursing, Rush University, 600 South Paulina, Chicago, IL 60612
The Surgeon General and Institute of Medicine have called attention to the mental health needs of children in the United States. Immigrant and first generation Mexican American children are a particularly vulnerable group. The purpose of this study is to highlight the relationship of school behavior and mental health status of 4th and 5th grade Mexican American boys and girls (n = 142). The children are enrolled in the Rush Mexican American Problem Solving (Rush MAPS) Program; a study designed to promote adaptation of Mexican immigrant mothers and their children to life in the USA. Mental health is measured by the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and school behaviors are determined by report card scores of interpersonal behavior and attendance. At baseline, 38.6% of the children received scores indicating depression and 40% endorsed the item “…thinking about killing myself but I wouldn’t do it” (Item 9 of CDI). There are significant relationships between children’s mental health and interpersonal school behavior (r = .24, p.=.05) and school attendance including absenteeism and tardiness (r =.31, p. = .03). Additionally, there are significant correlations between children’s mental health and child report of neighborhood stress (r =.23, p=.01), children’s self esteem (r = -.41, p=.01), and health conceptions (r = -.65, p=.01), mothers’ mental health (r =.20, p=.02), and mothers’ stress (r =.20, p=.01). Issues illuminating the complex relationships between health and behavior in Mexican immigrant families will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adult and Child 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.