Risk factors for depression among adolescents living in group homes in South Carolina

Few data are available concerning the risk factors for depression among adolescents living in group homes. Two hundred fifty-nine adolescents ranging in age from 10 years to 20 years (median age of 15 years) residing in South Carolina group homes were interviewed for symptoms of depression and characteristics including demographics, personal history, family dynamics, academic performance, and social network. Of the study population, 47 percent are female. Population ethnicity is 64.9 percent Anglo-American and 29.1 percent African-American. Among these adolescents, 74.5 percent had clinical depression defined as a total Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score of 16 or more which is much greater than population-based estimates of 0.4 to 8.3 percent. Using a total CES-D score of 23 or more, 42.9 percent of the adolescents had severe depression. Among adolescents who were clinically depressed, gender had an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 4.24 with a 95 percent confidence interval (CI) of 1.44 and 12.51. History of suicide attempts had an OR of 4.97 with a 95 percent CI of 1.04 and 23.75. However, among severely depressed adolescents, only gender was a significant risk factor (AOR = 6.92, 95 percent CI = 2.91, 16.42). Careful screening of all depressed adolescents in group homes for suicide attempts is indicated, especially among females, and when identified, the adolescent should receive suicide prevention counseling.