Associations between depressed mood and clusters of health risk behaviors.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between depressed mood and clusters of health risk behaviors.


METHODS
A nationally representative sample of adolescents (N=15,214) was utilized to construct 10 pseudocontinuous health risk behaviors. Cluster analysis was performed to group adolescents, and subsequent multivariable logistic models were created.


RESULTS
Compared to non-risk takers, belonging to risk clusters significantly increased the odds of reporting depressed mood. African Americans in high-risk clusters appeared to be more vulnerable to depressed mood, when compared to remaining racial groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that adolescents engaging in multiple health-risk behaviors do so in the context of depressed mood.
Paxton
Raheem J
RJ
Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. rpaxton@crch.hawaii.edu
Valois
Robert F
RF
Watkins
Ken W
KW
Huebner
E Scott
ES
Drane
J Wazner
JW
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology