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Reports and Publications :: The World According to Our Kids
Appendix: Supplemental Information on Assets and Behavior Patterns
This appendix contains additional information to help
understand the report, including definitions of the external
and internal assets, the developmental deficits, high-risk
behavior patterns, thriving behaviors. It also contains a
comparison of substance abuse rates and sexual activity as
measured by the YRBS and the Assets survey.
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Figure A.
Definition of External Assets |
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Asset Type
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External Asset
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Definition
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Support
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1. Family support
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Family
life provides high levels of love and support.
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2. Positive family
communication
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Young
person and his or her parent(s) communicate positively, and young person is
willing to seek parent(s’) advice and counsel.
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3. Other adult
relationships
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Young
person receives support from three or more non-parent adults.
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4. Caring neighborhood
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Young
person experiences caring neighbors.
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5. Caring school climate
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School
provides a caring, encouraging environment.
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6. Parents involved in
school
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Parent(s)
are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.
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Empowerment
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7. Community values youth
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Young
person perceives that adults in the community value youth.
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8. Youth as resources
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Young
people are given useful roles in the community.
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9. Service to others
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Young
person serves in the community one hour or more per week.
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10. Feels safe in
community
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Young
person feels safe at home, school, and in the neighborhood.
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Boundaries and
Expectations
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11. Family boundaries
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Family
has clear rules and consequences and monitors young person’s whereabouts.
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12. School boundaries
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School
provides clear rules and consequences.
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13. Neighborhood
boundaries
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Neighbors
take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behavior.
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14. Adult role models
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Parent(s)
and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
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15. Positive peer
influence
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Young
person’s best friends model responsible behavior.
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16. High expectations
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Both
parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.
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Constructive use of time
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17. Creative activities
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Young
person spends three of more hours per week in lessons or practice in music,
theater, or other arts.
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18. Youth programs
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Young
person spends three of more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations
at school and/or in community organizations.
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19. Religious community
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Young
person spends one of more hours per week in a religious institution.
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20. Time at home
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Young
person is out with friends with “nothing special to do” two or fewer nights
per week.
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Figure B. Definition of
Internal Assets |
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Type of Asset
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Internal Asset
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Definition
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Commitment to learning
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21.
Achievement motivation
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Young
person is motivated to do well in school.
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22. School engagement
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Young
person is actively engaged in learning.
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23.
Homework
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Young
person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
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24.
Bonding to school
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Young
person cares about his or her school.
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25.
Reading for pleasure
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Young
person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.
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Positive
values
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26.
Caring
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Young
person places high value on helping other people.
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27.
Equality & social justice
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Young
person places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and
poverty.
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28.
Integrity
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Young
person acts on convictions and stands up for his or her beliefs.
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29.
Honesty
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Young
person tells the truth even when it is not easy.
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30.
Responsibility
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Young
person accepts and takes personal responsibility.
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31.
Restraint
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Young
person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol
or other drugs.
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Social competencies
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32. Planning &
decision-making
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Young
person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
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33. Interpersonal
competence
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Young
person has empathy, sensitivity, and
friendship skills.
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34.
Cultural competence
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Young
person has knowledge of, comfort with people of different cultural, racial and
ethnic backgrounds.
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35.
Resistance skills
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Young
person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
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36. Peaceful conflict
resolution
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Young
person seeks to resolve conflict non-violently.
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Positive identity
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37.
Personal power
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Young
person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me.”
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38.
Self-esteem
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Young
person reports having high self-esteem.
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39.
Sense of purpose
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Young
person reports that “my life has a purpose.”
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40.
Positive view of future
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Young
person is optimistic about his or her personal future.
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Figure C.
Definition of Developmental Deficits |
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Deficit
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Definitions
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Alone at home
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Two or more hours per school day
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T.V. overexposure
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Watches TV or videos three or
more hours per school day
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Physical abuse
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One or more incidents of
physical harm (that caused a scar, black and blue marks, welts, bleeding or
broken bones), by someone in the family or living with the family
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Victim of violence
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Reports one or more incidents in
past 2 years of physical violence causing pain or injure
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Drinking parties
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Reports attending one or more
parties in the lst year where kids the same age were drinking.
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Definition of High Risk Behaviors
Figure 6 of the report shows the prevalence of high risk
patterns reported by at least 20 percent of respondents.
This figure lists the definitions of all ten high-risk
behaviors and the overall level reported by each.
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Figure D. Definition and
Percent of Arlington County Youth Reporting 10 High-Risk
Behavior Patterns |
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Alcohol
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Has used alcohol three or more times in the last 30 days
or got drunk once or more in the last two weeks.
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20
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Tobacco
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Smokes one or more cigarettes every day or uses chewing
tobacco frequently.
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9
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Illicit drugs
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Used illicit drugs three or more times in the past 12
months.
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14
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Sexual Intercourse
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Has had sexual intercourse three or more times in
lifetime.
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19
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Depression/suicide
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Is frequently depressed and/or has attempted suicide.
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28
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Anti-social
behavior
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Has been involved in three or more incidents of
shoplifting, trouble with police, or vandalism, in the last 12 months.
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21
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Violence
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Has engaged in three or more acts of fighting, hitting,
injuring a person, carrying or using a weapon, or threatening physical harm
in the last 12 months.
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26
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School problems
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Has skipped school two or more days in the last four weeks
and/or has below a C average.
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29
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Driving and alcohol
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Has driven after drinking or ridden with a drinking driver
three or more times in the last 12 months.
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15
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Gambling
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Has gambled three or more times in the last 12 months.
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12
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Definition of Thriving Behaviors
Figure E gives the
definition of the thriving behaviors used to indicate that
young people are doing well and not just getting by.
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Figure E. Definition of
Thriving Behaviors |
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Thriving indicator
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Definition
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Succeeds in school
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Gets mostly As on report card
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Helps others
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Helps friends or neighbors one or more hours per week
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Values diversity
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Places high importance on getting to know people of other
racial or ethnic groups
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Maintains good
health
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Pays attention to healthy nutrition and exercise
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Exhibits leadership
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Has been a leader of a group or organization in the last
12 months
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Resists danger
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Avoids doing things that are dangerous
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Delays
gratification
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Saves money form something special rather than spending it
all right away
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Overcomes adversity
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Does not give up when things get difficult.
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Comparison of Selected,
Self-Reported Risk Behaviors from YRBS and Assets Surveys
The YRBS and Assets surveys contain
a number of similar questions. Do the two surveys obtain
the same results? For the most part, the answer is “yes”,
as shown in figure F. The largest difference in responses
relates to suicide. However, differences between the
surveys probably explain the lower rate for YRBS
respondents. The YRBS asks a series of related questions
designed to clearly distinguish between thinking about it,
making a plan, attempting suicide, and making a suicide
attempt that requires medical treatment. The Assets survey
only asks about depression and suicide attempts.
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Figure F. Comparison of
Selected, Self-Reported Risk Behaviors from YRBS and Assets
Surveys, for Grades 8 and 10 |
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Grade 8
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Grade 10
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Risk Behavior
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YRBS
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Assets
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YRBS
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Assets
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Alcohol use in past 30 days
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NA
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24
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34
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36
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Cigarette use in
past 30 days
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15
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13
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24
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20
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Sexual intercourse,
ever
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19
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18
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32
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32
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Ever attempted
suicide
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12
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19
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NA
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13
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