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A reexamination of ethnicity as a risk factor for adolescent suicidal behavior, focusing on whether Mexican American youths are at increased risk, was undertaken. Data from a sample of 4,175 African, European, and Mexican Americans, aged 11-17, are presented. We examined lifetime attempts and past year attempts, thoughts, and plans. Odds ratios, adjusting for covariates, indicate no differences between European and Mexican Americans on past year thoughts, plans, or attempts or lifetime attempts. Although some studies have reported Mexican American youths are at increased risk, we did not find any differences. Possible explanations for disparate results across studies are discussed, in particular methods effects.

Objective: The authors present prevalence data for adolescents in a large metropolitan area and examine the association of DSM-IV diagnoses with functional impairment and selected demographic correlates among European Americans (EA), African Americans (AA), and Mexican (MA) Americans., Method: The authors sampled 4,175 youths ages 11 to 17 years whose households were enrolled in large health maintenance organizations. Data were collected using questionnaires, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV and the Children's Global Assessment Scale. The data were collected in the Houston Metropolitan area in 1998-2000. Data on psychiatric disorders were derived from interviews with youths only., Results: AA had a lower prevalence of mood disorders, substance use disorders, and any disorders adjusted for Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV impairment or Children's Global Assessment Scale score than did others. EA had greatest prevalence of substance use disorders, whereas AA were lowest. After adjusting for covariates, EA had a higher risk for some disorders than AA. Effects of gender, age, parent education, family income, and marital status were not consistent across groups. Family income was protective only for EA., Conclusions: There appear to be few systematic differences between majority and minority adolescents at risk for psychiatric disorders. MA are not at increased risk contrasted to EA. AA had lower risk for some disorders, but adjusting for impairment and covariates eliminated most differences. Thus, multivariate analyses support the hypothesis that initial ethnic differences appear to be a function of factors associated with disadvantaged minority status rather than to distinctive ethnic culture. A noteworthy finding was that disadvantaged social status did not appear to increase the risk for disorders among minority youths.

Objective: To investigate differences in associations between physical activity and overweight for students in two adjacent areas on the border between Mexico and the United States of America: students in the city of Matamoros, Mexico, and Mexican-American students in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) area of southern Texas. Since the extremely high prevalence of overweight among Mexican-American adolescents is well-recognized, we wanted to determine whether overweight has become a problem among Mexican adolescents as well., Methods: Students from 6 schools (n = 653), representing 11% of the ninth-grade students in Matamoros during 2002-2003, and students from 13 high schools (n = 4,736), representing 22% of the ninth-grade students in the LRGV during 2000-2001, completed questionnaires. Polytomous logistic regression was performed to estimate the risk of being at risk for overweight (> or = 85th percentile to < 95th percentile of body mass index (BMI) for age and sex) and the risk of being overweight (> or = 95th percentile of BMI-for-age and sex) versus normal weight that were associated with measures of physical activity. For simplicity, the classification of normal weight also included underweight., Results: A higher percentage of adolescents in the LRGV were at risk of overweight (17%) in comparison with adolescents from Matamoros (15%). The percentages of LRGV and Matamoros adolescents who were overweight were identical (17%). LRGV adolescent boys (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.77-0.98) who participated in team sports were less likely to be at or above the 85th percentile of BMI-for-age and sex. Although of borderline significance, Matamoros and LRGV adolescent boys who participated in physical education classes were less likely to be at risk for overweight. Among neither the Matamoros students nor the LRGV students were any of the various other physical activity categories or levels associated with being at risk for overweight or being overweight., Conclusions: Nearly one-third of the students in both Matamoros and the LRGV are at risk for overweight or are overweight. Implementation of interventions on healthful dietary choices and participation in physical education classes and sports teams are essential for reducing the extremely high prevalence of overweight among students on both sides of the Texas/Mexico border.

Folkman and Lazarus's theory of stress and coping was used to develop a measure assessing the perceived stress within a bicultural context. Middle school students of Mexican descent (N = 881) reported their perceived stress from intergenerational acculturation gaps, within-group discrimination, out-group discrimination, and monolingual stress. Although immigrant youths reported more total number of stressors, U.S.-born youths reported more stress from needing better Spanish and impact of parents' culture. Immigrant youths reported more stress from needing better English in school. Higher stress was associated with more depressive symptoms for both U.S.-born and immigrant youths. Although this study has identified some elements of stress, it has not identified positive coping mechanisms of the bicultural context for Latino youths.

A reexamination of ethnicity as a risk factor for adolescent suicidal behavior, focusing on whether Mexican American youths are at increased risk, was undertaken. Data from a sample of 4,175 African, European, and Mexican Americans, aged 11-17, are presented. We examined lifetime attempts and past year attempts, thoughts, and plans. Odds ratios, adjusting for covariates, indicate no differences between European and Mexican Americans on past year thoughts, plans, or attempts or lifetime attempts. Although some studies have reported Mexican American youths are at increased risk, we did not find any differences. Possible explanations for disparate results across studies are discussed, in particular methods effects.

Objective: The authors present prevalence data for adolescents in a large metropolitan area and examine the association of DSM-IV diagnoses with functional impairment and selected demographic correlates among European Americans (EA), African Americans (AA), and Mexican (MA) Americans. Method: The authors sampled 4,175 youths ages 11 to 17 years whose households were enrolled in large health maintenance organizations. Data were collected using questionnaires, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV and the Children's Global Assessment Scale. The data were collected in the Houston Metropolitan area in 1998-2000. Data on psychiatric disorders were derived from interviews with youths only. Results: AA had a lower prevalence of mood disorders, substance use disorders, and any disorders adjusted for Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV impairment or Children's Global Assessment Scale score than did others. EA had greatest prevalence of substance use disorders, whereas AA were lowest. After adjusting for covariates, EA had a higher risk for some disorders than AA. Effects of gender, age, parent education, family income, and marital status were not consistent across groups. Family income was protective only for EA. Conclusions: There appear to be few systematic differences between majority and minority adolescents at risk for psychiatric disorders. MA are not at increased risk contrasted to EA. AA had lower risk for some disorders, but adjusting for impairment and covariates eliminated most differences. Thus, multivariate analyses support the hypothesis that initial ethnic differences appear to be a function of factors associated with disadvantaged minority status rather than to distinctive ethnic culture. A noteworthy finding was that disadvantaged social status did not appear to increase the risk for disorders among minority youths. (Contains 4 tables.)

Differences in prevalence of depressive symptoms were studied for 1,108 male and 1,092 female adolescents from diverse ethnocultural groups through a national survey of symptom levels. Females reported more depression than did males in any ethnic group. Mexican-American males reported more depressive symptoms than did other males. (SLD)

Differences between Anglos and Mexican Americans were examined for three measures of social support--organizational membership, contact with friends and relatives, and sources of socioemotional and instrumental aid. Most initial ethnic differences disappeared when the effects of age, gender, education, income, and marital status were controlled. (JHZ)

Different stages of child progression and certain socioeconomic factors (such as family income, education, and employment status) have different effects on fertility in different ethnic groups in the Southwest. Fertility of Mexican American groups may approximate that of Anglos with passing time, improved socioeconomic status, and continued assimilation. (Author/SB)

Mexican American women reported more depressive symptoms than men (after controlling for effects of age, education, income) in two surveys conducted in Alameda County, California (1975, 1978). Among the married, the employed reported fewer symptoms than the nonemployed; there was no difference in depression scores of employed men and women. (Author/LC)

Data are presented from sample surveys conducted in 1974 (N = 3,119) and 1975 (N = 657) in Alameda County, California, comparing psychological distress among Mexican Americans, blacks, and Anglos. Measures of psychological distress include satisfaction with leisure, marriage, and job, reported happiness, positive and negative affect, and reported episodes of emotional problems and chronic nervous trouble. Based on crude prevalence rates, there are no differences among the ethnic groups in either sample in reported emotional or mental illness, and negative affect. There are differences in happiness, job satisfaction, and chronic nervous trouble in the 1974 study but not the other. In the remaining three comparisons (satisfaction with leisure and with marriage, positive affect) there are significant differences in both studies, Chicanos faring worse than Anglos but somewhat better than blacks. Controlling for the effects of age, sex, education, income, marital status, and physical health status in general reduces but does not eliminate most of these ethnic differences, and in no case is the rate for Chicanos lower than that for Anglos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study elucidates differences in the pattern of hospital use by three ethnic groups in the Southwest (Anglos, Chicanos, blacks). Findings are presented and discussed in terms of several factors (socio-environmental, medical care system, social and ethnic status). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]