Depression, self-esteem, suicide ideation, and GPAs of high school students at risk.

131 subjects completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Coopersmith's Self-esteem Inventory--Short Form, the first 11 questions of the Beck Scale of Suicide Ideation, and gave some background information. The students receiving free or reduced-cost lunches scored lower on self-esteem, while students who had been absent more than 15 times scored higher on depression and suicide ideation and had lower GPAs than students who were not absent as often but had similar scores on self-esteem. Students who were below the 25th percentile on the SRA Composite score had lower GPAs. 9 students in special education in Learning Disabilities and Behavioral Disordered categories had scores similar to those of 121 regular education students on depression, self-esteem, suicide ideation, and GPA. Indicators for children at-risk provide clues about how children think about themselves, others, and the world in which they live.