Depressive symptoms in Chinese children and adolescents: Parent, teacher, and self reports

Abstract

Background Most studies of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents have been conducted in Western countries. This study was designed to examine depressive symptoms and age and gender differences in children and adolescents in China. Methods Participants consisted of two community samples of children and adolescents ( n1 = 4858, n2 = 1362) in Shandong, China. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher Report Form (TRF) and Youth Self Report (YSR) were used to assess depressive symptoms. Results Using American norms, the prevalence rates of depression in Chinese children and adolescents were 5.9% with self report, 0.9% with parent report, and 0.8% with teacher report. Self and teacher-reported depressive symptoms were significantly increased with age for both boys and girls. Compared with American norms, self-reported depressive scores were significantly higher in Chinese adolescents, while parent and teacher-reported scores were significantly lower in Chinese children. Limitations Our study lacks clinical assessment of depressive symptoms and the study is comprised of two separate samples where parent and teacher reports and youth reports could not be compared directly. Conclusions The prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms in Chinese children and adolescents are much higher than those reported by either parents or teachers. Depressive symptoms are increased with age but do not differ between boys and girls.