title: Stressful life events and co-occurring depression, substance abuse and suicidality among American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents.
abstract: Depression, suicidality and substance abuse disorders are examined with special emphasis on the role of stressful life events in predicting severity and patterns of comorbidity among American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents in boarding school environments. Both amount and severity of comorbidity increase with age and specific patterns of comorbidity are associated with gender. Different types and amounts of stressful life events predict specific combinations of comorbidity. These outcomes are interpretable with respect to associated cultural dynamics and the ecology of mental health services delivery for Indian and Native adolescents. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed in relation to the use of stressful life events in examining cultural factors related to comorbidity among culturally different populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Dinges
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Duong-Tran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000413:Alaska / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012114:Residential Treatment; D012931:Social Environment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology