Depression in High School: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity as a Moderator of Sexual Assault

BACKGROUND

Depression continues to be a public health crisis for young adults. For high school students, past research has identified trauma as a significant predictor of depression. Congruent with the theory of cumulative stress, the present study hypothesized that the effect of sexual assault on depression would be stronger among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students than among their straight peers.

METHODS

Using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey completed by students attending Duval County Public Schools in Florida (N = 3053), this study used secondary data analysis to conduct 2 regression analyses, one for boys and one for girls.

RESULTS

LGB status was associated with 3-fold increase in the odds of reporting depression for both boys and girls. History of sexual assault was associated with a significant increase in reporting depression. There was also a significant interaction effect between sexual orientation and history of sexual assault among male students only (p < .05). Contrary to the hypothesis, the effect was stronger among straight boys than among LGB boys.

CONCLUSION

Minority students continue to evidence greater risks for depression. Opportunities for systemic changes to address these include training teachers, banning conversion therapy, and implementing comprehensive sex education.

Sexual Health Services in Schools: A Successful Community Collaborative

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are an essential part of a comprehensive approach to address the health needs of youth. SBHCs that provide sexual health services (SHS) show promising results in improving reproductive health outcomes among youth. Despite the positive impact SBHCs can have, few school districts have SBHCs, and even fewer provide SHS. This article describes a successful 5-year project to provide SHS through SBHCs in a large county in the southeast United States. A community collaborative, including the schools, health department, community agencies and a local university, was created to address the project goals and objectives. Various steps were taken to plan for the SBHCs, including documenting community support for SHS offered through SBHCs, identifying school sites for SBHCs, and the process for offering pregnancy, STD (sexually transmitted disease), and HIV testing, treatment, and referrals. Protocols for clinic flow, testing, staffing, training, and student recruitment were developed. The staff at the SBHCs were successful in recruiting students to attend educational sessions and to receive testing and treatment. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Lessons learned about the importance of the partnership's collaboration, using recommended clinic protocol, ensuring clear communication with school staff, and employing youth friendly recruitment and clinic practices are shared.

Improving sexuality education: the development of teacher-preparation standards

BACKGROUND

Teaching sexuality education to support young people's sexual development and overall sexual health is both needed and supported. Data continue to highlight the high rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, among young people in the United States as well as the overwhelming public support for sexuality education instruction. In support of the implementation of the National Sexuality Education Standards, the current effort focuses on better preparing teachers to deliver sexuality education.

METHODS

An expert panel was convened by the Future of Sex Education Initiative to develop teacher-preparation standards for sexuality education. Their task was to develop standards and indicators that addressed the unique elements intrinsic to sexuality education instruction.

RESULTS

Seven standards and associated indicators were developed that address professional disposition, diversity and equity, content knowledge, legal and professional ethics, planning, implementation, and assessment.

CONCLUSIONS

The National Teacher-Preparation Standards for Sexuality Education represent an unprecedented unified effort to enable prospective health education teachers to become competent in teaching methodology, theory, practice of pedagogy, content, and skills, specific to sexuality education. Higher education will play a key role in ensuring the success of these standards.

New evidence: data documenting parental support for earlier sexuality education

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies document support for sexuality education to be taught in high school, and often, in middle school. However, little research has been conducted addressing support for sexuality education in elementary schools.

METHODS

As part of the state Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Survey administration, the Florida Department of Health conducted the Florida Child Health Survey (FCHS) by calling back parents who had children in their home and who agreed to participate (N = 1715).

RESULTS

Most parents supported the following sexuality education topics being taught specifically in elementary school: communication skills (89%), human anatomy/reproductive information (65%), abstinence (61%), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (53%), and gender/sexual orientation issues (52%). Support was even greater in middle school (62-91%) and high school (72-91%) for these topics and for birth control and condom education. Most parents supported comprehensive sexuality education (40.4%), followed by abstinence-plus (36.4%) and abstinence-only (23.2%). Chi-square results showed significant differences in the type of sexuality education supported by almost all parent demographic variables analyzed including sex, race, marital status, and education.

CONCLUSIONS

Results add substantial support for age-appropriate school-based sexuality education starting at the elementary school level, the new National Sexuality Education Standards, and funding to support evidence-based abstinence-plus or comprehensive sexuality education.

Sexual behaviors of middle school students: 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey results from 16 locations

BACKGROUND

The potential negative consequences of engaging in sexual risk behaviors at a young age are well documented. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information about the prevalence of sexual behaviors among middle school students. This article provides an overview of the sexual risk behaviors of middle school students from 16 districts and states throughout the country, and examines these risks by demographic variables.

METHODS

In 2009, 10 states and 6 districts administered the Youth Risk Behavior Survey-Middle School and included sexual behavior questions. Data were examined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Online database. Frequencies were run for 4 sexual behaviors and an HIV/AIDS education question for each location. A series of t-tests were calculated for these 5 items by gender, age, and race for each location.

RESULTS

Data show that 5-20% of sixth graders and 14-42% of eighth graders have engaged in sexual intercourse. A concerning percentage of students have also engaged in other sexual risk behaviors and many are not receiving HIV/AIDS education. Additionally, there were significant differences by gender, race, and age.

CONCLUSION

Consistent with previous studies, males, minorities, and older students are more likely to engage in sexual risk behaviors. There is also variation in the percentage of students engaging in sexual behaviors across locations. Sexual risk reduction education is important for middle school youth, particularly for minorities, males and those from southern and/or larger, urban cities as those are the populations with generally higher sexual risk behaviors.

Maternal medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency identified by newborn screening

Prior to the advent of expanded newborn screening, sudden and unexplained death was often the first and only symptom of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD). With the use of tandem mass spectrometry, infants can now be identified and treated before a life threatening metabolic decompensation occurs. Newborn screening has also been shown to detect previously undiagnosed maternal inborn errors of metabolism. We have now diagnosed two women with MCADD following the identification of low free carnitine in their newborns. While one of the women reported prior symptoms of fasting intolerance, neither had a history of metabolic decompensation or other symptoms consistent with a fatty acid oxidation disorder. These cases illustrate the importance of including urine organic acid analysis and an acylcarnitine profile as part of the confirmatory testing algorithm for mothers when low free carnitine is identified in their infants.

Reduced calcium uptake by rat brain mitochondria and synaptosomes in response to aging

Synaptosomes were isolated from cerebral cortex of 3-, 18- and 24-month-old male, Fisher 344 rats and 45Ca2+ uptake was measured at 1, 3, 5, 15 and 30 s time periods following 65 mM KCl depolarization. Identical experiments were performed in which 5 mM KCl was added to examine age-related changes in resting 45Ca2+ accumulation by synaptosomes. Both 'fast-' and 'slow-phase' voltage-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake were significantly reduced in synaptosomes from 18- and 24- vs 3-month-old rats. No age-related change in resting (5 mM KCl) 45Ca2+ accumulation was observed. ATP-dependent and respiration-linked 45Ca2+ uptake was examined in mitochondria isolated from whole brains of 3- and 28-month-old male, hooded Long-Evans rats. Both ATP-dependent and glutamate-malate-ADP stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria were markedly reduced in response to aging. Respiratory control ratios were the same for 3- and 28-month-old mitochondria, suggesting that the decrement in 45Ca2+ uptake was not caused by an age-related decline in respiratory activity of mitochondria. The results of this study show that both voltage-dependent calcium entry into presynaptic nerve terminals and calcium uptake by mitochondria in brain decline with advanced aging. Age-related changes in cytosolic calcium levels could underlie, at least in part, cellular decrements in brain observed with aging.

45Ca2+ uptake into rat whole brain synaptosomes unaltered by dihydropyridine calcium antagonists

Voltage-dependent 45Ca2+ uptake into rat whole brain synaptosomes was measured after 3-s KCl-induced depolarization to investigate possible inhibitory effects of calcium antagonists, nitrendipine, nimodipine, and nisoldipine. At a Ca2+ concentration of 1.2 mM, nitrendipine, in concentrations ranging from 0.1 nM to 10 microM, had no effect on 45Ca2+ uptake. When the Ca2+ concentration was lowered to 0.06 and 0.12 mM, nitrendipine, 10 microM, inhibited 45Ca2+ uptake in response to 109 mM KCl depolarization. However, in a separate concentration response study, nitrendipine, nimodipine, and nisoldipine, 0.1 nM to 10 microM, failed to alter the uptake of 45Ca2+ (0.06 mM Ca2+) into 30 mM KCl-depolarized synaptosomes. The high concentrations of these agents required to depress 45Ca2+ uptake indicate that the dihydropyridine calcium antagonists are considerably less potent in brain tissue than in peripheral tissue.

Light-dependent modifications in the metabolic responses of squash seedlings

Light-induced modifications in lipoxidase metabolism and chlorophyll formation in the cotyledon of squash (Cucurbita moscata) seedlings were determined. The enzyme activity decreased as light intensity increased, but chlorophyll continued to accumulate long after lipoxidase activity had virtually disappeared. Considering the differences in the levels of irradiance required to manifest the optimal responses, and also from the results obtained with ultraviolet and red, far-red light treatments, any causal relationship between lipoxidase disappearance and chlorophyll synthesis was ruled out.The observed light-saturation phase in the chlorophyll synthesis, indicated that chlorophyll formation was initially controlled by the phytochrome system. No similar saturation stage for the enzyme responses was observed.The sensitivity of lipoxidase to prolonged light exposures suggested a strong correlation with the known photoreactions presumed to be controlled by the high energy reactive-phytochrome system. Lipoxidase metabolism is, therefore, suggested as a biochemical index for the photomorphogenic reactions similar to the ones induced by the high energy reaction.