The 24-item Family History Screen (FHS) was used to assess the psychiatric histories of adolescents’ biological parents at baseline. A biological parent or legal guardian served as the primary informant for all family history data; mothers were the primary informant (84.9%). The FHS has demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability. A dichotomous variable (yes/no) was computed from three questions as an indicator of whether or not the mother and father had significant psychopathology. A “YES” required a positive response to three questions asking if the parent: (1) ever had an emotional problem or mental illness; (2) had ever sought treatment with a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, doctor, or other health professional because of a mental health problem; and (3) had a history of one major diagnostic symptom or disorder. The symptoms and disorders queried about included depression and bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, suicide attempt, alcohol abuse, problems with illegal drug use, or criminal behavior (arrest, conviction, or detention). For exploratory analyses, a yes/no variable was created for each parent regarding a history of any of the three latter problems, regardless of
