Risk and protective factors predicting prescription drug misuse in a sample of Puerto Rican students.

The present study was directed at examining a model of risk, and protective factors for prescription drug misuse in a representative sample of 8,079 students enrolled in 130 randomly selected middle and high schools in Puerto Rico. Based on the available empirical literature that was examined, depressed mood, availability of illegal drugs, sensation-seeking behavior, social learning, peer's drug use as risk factors, and positive outlook of the future as protective factors for prescription drug misuse youths. The Puerto Rico Survey of Youth Risk Behaviors Questionnaire (SYRB-PR) was administered to all participants, and all the experimental measures of the risk and protective factors were obtained from this instrument.

Dissociation in sexually abused Puerto Rican children: a replication utilizing social workers as informers.

This study explores dissociative symptoms in 3 different groups of Puerto Rican children. Data were collected on 40 children with documented sexual abuse history, 39 children with psychiatric disorders but without a history of sexual abuse, and 40 community control children. Dissociative symptoms were assessed with the child using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC); a social worker answered the Child Dissociative Checklist (CDC).

Gender disparities in mental health service use of Puerto Rican children and adolescents.

Background: Differences in service utilization indicating that boys use more mental health services than girls were analyzed to see if they could be explained by known correlates of service use. These correlates were arranged into individual (severe emotional disturbance, level of impairment and externalizing disorders), family (parental education, psychopathology and parental concern) and school factors (difficulties with school work). The objectives were to understand and identify the factors accounting for gender differences in mental health service utilization in order to develop alternatives to promote equity in service delivery.