Person-centered analyses demonstrate physical health is associated with depression, anxiety, and suicide propensity over 6-month period in the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network

Objectives The objectives of the current study were (a) to identify profiles of treatment-seeking youth with depression and/or suicidal thoughts and behaviors based on patterns of physical health (i.e., functioning-mobility, fatigue, pain interference, pain severity, medical comorbidities), (b) to explore demographic and treatment correlates of profiles (i.e., age, sex, race, ethnicity, family income, and treatment type), (c) to explore associations among profiles and mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety, depression, suicidal risk, suicidal propensity) at baseline, and (d) to examine whether the profiles were associated with mental health changes over time (i.e., 6 months). Methods Participants were 1,174 youth ages 8–17 (M age = 14.5; 70.9% female; 69.6% White, 44.8% Hispanic/Latino). Youth completed measures of physical health, depression, anxiety, and suicide symptoms. Latent variable mixture modeling was conducted. Results Three profiles emerged: (1) “High Physical Health” (49.3%), (2) “Moderate Physical Health” (39.9%), and (3) “Low Physical Health” (10.7%). Youth in the “High Physical Health” profile had the lowest depression, anxiety, suicide propensity, and suicide risk, and youth in the “Low Physical Health” profile had the highest depression, anxiety, and suicide propensity. Mental health symptoms improved over time for all profiles, and the rate of change was not different. Conclusions Results highlight the importance of examining physical health in treatment-seeking youth, as physical health symptoms may impact depression, anxiety, and suicide propensity over time and indicate a treatment targeting both mental and physical health.