9/22/2005

Teens who use drugs or are sexually active are more likely to become clinically depressed later on, according to a report from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).

Fox News reported Sept. 20 that the study seems to contradict the notion that depressed teens use drugs or engage in sex to self-medicate their depression. "Findings from the study show depression came after substance and sexual activity, not the other way around," said PIRE researcher Denise Dion Hallfors.

Hallfors and colleagues looked at data from surveys of 13,000 teens who were interviewed in 1995 and again in 1996. They found that among girls, both drug use and sex were predictors of future depression -- raising their risk two- or threefold -- but for boys, only frequent marijuana use and high-risk behavior like binge drinking appeared to raise the risk of depression.

"For females, even modest involvement in substance use and sexual experimentation elevates depression risk," the study noted. "In contrast, boys show little added risk with experimental behavior, but binge drinking and frequent use of marijuana contribute substantial risk."

The research was published in the October 2005 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.