Orpinas Pamela, Nahapetyan Lusine, Truszczynski Natalia
Department Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Kinesiology and Health Studies, Southeastern Louisiana University, 400 Tennessee Street, Hammond, LA, 70402, USA.
J Youth Adolesc. 2017 May;46(5):970-981. doi: 10.1007/s10964-017-0630-7. Epub 2017 Jan 16.
Understanding the interrelation among problem behaviors and their change over time is fundamental for prevention research. The Healthy Teens Longitudinal Study followed a cohort of adolescents from Grades 6-12. Prior research identified two distinct trajectories of perpetration of physical dating violence: Low and Increasing. The purpose of this study was to examine whether adolescents in these two trajectories differed longitudinally on other problem behaviors: (1) suicidal ideation and attempts, (2) weapon-carrying and threats with a weapon, and (3) substance use, particularly alcohol and marijuana. The sample consisted of 588 randomly-selected students (52% males; 49% White, 36% Black, 12% Latino). Students completed a self-reported, computer-based survey each spring from Grades 6-12. To examine significant differences by perpetration of physical dating violence trajectory, we used Chi-square test and generalized estimating equations modeling. Across most grades, significantly more students in Increasing than in the Low trajectory reported suicidal ideation and attempts, carried a weapon, and threatened someone with a weapon. Adolescents in the Increasing trajectory also had higher trajectories of alcohol use, being drunk, and marijuana use than those in the Low trajectory. All differences were already significant in Grade 6. The difference in the rate of change between groups was not significant. This longitudinal study highlights that problem behaviors-physical dating violence, suicidal ideation and attempts, weapon carrying and threats, marijuana and alcohol use-cluster together as early as sixth grade and the clustering persists over time. The combination of these behaviors poses a great public health concern and highlight the need for early interventions.
了解问题行为之间的相互关系及其随时间的变化对于预防研究至关重要。“健康青少年纵向研究”跟踪了一批6至12年级的青少年。先前的研究确定了身体约会暴力行为的两种不同轨迹：低轨迹和上升轨迹。本研究的目的是检验处于这两种轨迹的青少年在其他问题行为上是否存在纵向差异：（1）自杀意念和自杀未遂，（2）携带武器和用武器威胁他人，以及（3）物质使用，特别是酒精和大麻。样本包括588名随机选择的学生（52%为男性；49%为白人，36%为黑人，12%为拉丁裔）。学生们在6至12年级的每年春天完成一项基于计算机的自我报告调查。为了检验身体约会暴力轨迹造成的显著差异，我们使用了卡方检验和广义估计方程建模。在大多数年级中，报告有自杀意念和自杀未遂、携带武器以及用武器威胁他人的学生，处于上升轨迹的比处于低轨迹的显著更多。处于上升轨迹的青少年在酒精使用、醉酒和大麻使用方面的轨迹也高于处于低轨迹的青少年。所有差异在6年级时就已经很显著。两组之间变化率的差异不显著。这项纵向研究表明，身体约会暴力、自杀意念和自杀未遂、携带武器和威胁、大麻和酒精使用等问题行为早在六年级时就聚集在一起，并且这种聚集会随着时间持续存在。这些行为的组合引起了极大的公共卫生关注，并凸显了早期干预的必要性。
