Wesley E. Hawkins

Stress, health-related behavior and quality of life on depressive symptomatology in a sample of adolescents.

This study examined the correlations of 21 variables categorized into sociodemographic, subjective quality of life, stress, problem behavior, and health behavior predictors of at-risk and low-risk depressive symptomatology for a sample of 1056 adolescents attending public school. Discriminant function analysis showed lower life satisfaction, higher stress, and perceived unattractiveness as major discriminating variables for at-risk (CES-Depression score >23) versus low-risk depressed adolescents. Only two problem behaviors were significant, smoking for girls and hard drug use for boys.

Health Behavior Correlates of Depression among University Students

The frequency of symptoms of depression and selected health-related practices and events was measured in a sample of 572 students at a large midwestern university. Students reported many symptoms of depression, with women experiencing depression more often and to a greater degree than men. Depression was significantly correlated with 17 of the 22 practices and states of affect examined, but uncorrelated with certain health-related activities commonly identified with poor emotional well-being. Both the determinants and manifestations of depression among university students require further in-depth investigation. Implications for health professionals and other university personnel are discussed.

A health assessment of older Americans: Some multidimensional measures

This study examined the relationships among self-reported health practices and self-reported health status variables for 126 older adults drawn from a population of senior center participants, homebound elderly, and nursing home residents. Canonical correlation was used to determine significant relationships among linear combinations of the health variable set and the health practices-demographic data variable set. One significant canonical variate indicated that older adults who were more satisfied socially, free of or low in depression, had fewer or no physical disabilities, an internal locus of control, higher self-esteem, and fewer or no symptoms of aging, also tended to report engaging in current and lifelong exercise, sleeping 7 or 8 hr per day, having a higher educational attainment, and being in the younger age group of elderly. Current health practices of older adults were related to important health status variables. This finding contradicts some earlier investigations and suggests that older adults are indeed appropriate targets for health education and health promotion activities.

DEPRESSION AND HEALTH BEHAVIOR OF ADOLESCENTS

This study examined the relationship between two sets of variables, symptoms of depression and health behaviors of adolescents. Analysis using canonical correlation produced two significant canonical variates. Results suggest that addressing symptoms of negative mental health in adolescents may be an important step toward facilitating positive health behaviors in this age group.

Job satisfaction and intent to continue working among individuals with serious mental illness.

This study investigated the relationship between job satisfaction and the intention to continue working in a sample of 87 individuals with psychiatric disabilities who worked in supported or supervised employment. Data were collected from respondents in Columbus, Ohio in 1996. After controlling for selected correlates (education, length of employment, contract type, social support, and attitudes concerning pay and toward work), standard multiple regression analyses indicated that job satisfaction was a significant predictor of intent to continue working. Analyses also indicated that respondents who completed high school and who said that they worked primarily for the money were less likely to want to continue working at current jobs. These findings may be used to improve the vocational success of individuals with psychiatric disabilities who work in supported and supervised employment.

Depressive symptomatology and specificity of social support.

Psychosocial interventions should be based on research which reflects the multidimensionality of psychosocial constructs. This study investigated six categories of social support which were associated with depressive symptomatology in a sample of 531 college students. The Social Provisions Scale was used to measure social support while the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptomatology. Standard multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the variance contributed by each of the six categories of social support found on the Social Provisions Scale to depressive symptomatology. Specifically, the following categories of social support were significantly associated with depressive symptomatology: Reassurance of Worth (for male and female respondents) and Attachment (for females only). Implications for practice and research are discussed.

STRUCTURAL EQUATION ANALYSIS OF AN EXERCISE/SLEEP HEALTH PRACTICES MODEL ON QUALITY OF LIFE OF ELDERLY PERSONS

An exercise/sleep model from past research was tested for relationships with a quality of life measure of the health status of 126 elderly persons. Past statistical analyses of this relationship used canonical correlation statistical analyses. In the following study, when structural equation analysis (LISREL VII) was applied to the same data, an altered model resulted: an exercise-only model. To examine this relationship further, researchers should employ a longitudinal design with a more comprehensive model and larger sample of elderly persons.

SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE "DEPRESSED AFFECT" FACTOR AMONG SELECTED UNIVERSITY STUDENTS '

The present study examined symptoms of depression among university students. On the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, 96 men and 138 women did not differ in over-all reporting of depressive symptoms, but women were significantly more prone to experience symptoms measured by a scale factor known as “depressed affect.”

SELF-ACTUALIZATION AS RELATED TO AGE OF FACULTY MEMBERS AT A LARGE MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY '

Maslow suggested that individuals were more likely to realize levels of self-actualization as they became older. The Personal Orientation Inventory was administered to a random sample of 290 faculty members of a midwestern university to examine trends for self-actualization as related to age. Polynomial regression analysis yielded no trends for self-actualization and age, a finding which contradicts Maslows earlier hypothesis that self-actualization increases with age.

Teaching Multi-Dimensional Views of Disease Causation: The Web of Causation in Epidemiology

(1992). Teaching Multi-Dimensional Views of Disease Causation: The Web of Causation in Epidemiology. Journal of Health Education: Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 301-303.