Maternal and Child Health Library

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April 4, 2008

1. BRIEF PRESENTS NATIONAL DATA ON MEASURES OF ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH

The Mental Health of Adolescents: A National Profile, 2008 highlights existing national data about adolescent mental health status, assesses shortcomings of current data, and offers recommendations to address these shortcomings. The brief, produced by the National Adolescent Health Information Center at the University of California, San Francisco, with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, reviews definitions of mental health and describes methods for assessing mental health status. To describe the prevalence of mental health problems, the authors organize the findings as follows: global estimates of behavioral and emotional problems, estimates of specific disorders, suicide, and utilization of mental health services. A conclusion, national data sources cited in the brief, and references are provided. The brief is intended for use by health professionals, policymakers, educators, and others in strengthening systems that monitor the mental and emotional health of young people at national, state, and local levels. The brief is available at http://nahic.ucsf.edu/download.php?f=/downloads/MentalHealthBrief.pdf.

• The overall mortality rate for young adults has increased slightly and continues to stand at over twice the 2010 target.
• The percentage of adolescents who report "riding with a driver who had been drinking alcohol" has decreased to levels below those identified for the 2010 target; safety belt use has increased and is on track to reach the 2010 target.
• The three violence objectives show little or no improvement.
• Trends in the six objectives in the area of mental health and substance abuse mostly show modest or no improvement.
• The adolescent pregnancy rate has decreased considerably and has nearly reached the 2010 target; two of the three related behavioral objectives (have never had sex and, among the sexually active, used a condom at last intercourse) are on track to reach the 2010 targets.
• Tobacco use has decreased considerably.

• Net of controls, food insecurity has no direct association with being insecurely attached. Instead, food insecurity works indirectly through maternal depression and parenting practices to influence insecure attachment.
• Food insecurity is positively associated with maternal depression, which in turn is negatively associated with positive parenting. More positive parenting practices reduce the likelihood of insecure attachment.
• Net of controls, there is no direct effect of food insecurity on cognitive development. Rather, high levels of food security work indirectly through maternal depression and parenting practices to influence cognitive development.
• High levels of food insecurity are positively associated with maternal depression; maternal depression is negatively associated with more positive parenting practices, and positive parenting practices are positively associated with mental proficiency.