Tripartite Model of Depression and Anxiety in Youth Psychiatric Inpatients: Relations With Diagnostic Status and Future Symptoms

Abstract

Examined the relation of the depression aspect of the tripartite model of depression and anxiety to the diagnostic status and future symptoms of two samples that included 74 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients, ages 7 to 17 years (M = 13.57, SD = 2.39), some with either internalizing or externalizing diagnoses. The tripartite model suggests that anhedonia (low positive affect, or PA) differentiates depression from other conditions, whereas generalized negative affect (NA) also characterizes depression but is not specific to it. In this study, differences among children in PA and NA were associated with depressive versus externalizing diagnostic status and with future symptoms of depression. Depressive disorder diagnoses were associated with the combination of low levels of PA and high levels of NA. Changes over time in depression, but not in anxiety, also were associated with the combination of low PA and high NA. Results provide support for the applicability, clinical utility, and extension of the tripartite model with children.