Depressive Symptoms In Adolescent Girls Research Articles

Neural activity during negative self-evaluation is associated with negative self-concept and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls.

Self-concept becomes reliant on social comparison, potentially leading to excessive self-focused attention, persistently negative self-concept and increased risk for depression during early adolescence. Studies have implicated neural activation in cortical midline brain structures in self-related information processing, yet it remains unclear how this activation may underlie subjective self-concept and links to depression in adolescence. We examined these associations by assessing neural activity during negative vs. positive self-referential processing in 39 11-to-13-year-old girls. During a functional neuroimaging task, girls reported on their perceptions of self-concept by rating how true they believed positive and negative personality traits were about them. Girls reported on depressive symptoms at the scan and 6 months later. Activation in the dorsomedial and ventrolateral prefrontal cortexes (dMPFC; VLPFC), and visual association area was significantly associated with subjective self-concept and/or depressive symptoms at the scan or 6 months later. Exploratory models showed higher activation in the dMPFC to Self-negative > Self-positive was indirectly associated with concurrent depressive symptoms through more negative self-concept. Higher activation in the visual association area to Self-positive > Self-negative was associated with lower depressive symptoms at follow-up through more positive self-concept. Findings highlight how differential neural processing of negative versus positive self-relevant information maps onto perceptions of self-concept and adolescent depression.

FRI588 Effect Of Covid-19 On Depression In Girls With Obesity And Pcos Or Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract Disclosure: D. Ebedes: None. C.J. Noar: None. J. Benson: None. S. Simon: None. L.D. Gulley: None. L.B. Shomaker: None. L. Pyle: None. M.G. Cree: Consulting Fee; Self; Pollie Inc. Grant Recipient; Self; NIH. Research Investigator; Self; Amino Corp. Objectives: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age and is associated with elevated body mass index (BMI), and depression in adolescent girls. Prior to the COVID epidemic, we demonstrated elevated rates of depressive symptoms in adolescent girls with obesity suffering from PCOS or T2D. Studies examining how the mental health of this at-risk group of adolescents has changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is limited. Methods: Data were collected from 70 new girls with obesity and PCOS or T2D, who presented for care in an obesity complications clinic between 6 to 18 months into the COVID epidemic (7/1/2020-6/30/2021). Patients were included if they had Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D, 20 items) scores obtained within 6 months of PCOS or T2D diagnosis. A chart review was performed to collect data on demographics, physical exam findings, psychiatric care, and metabolic measures. CES-D scores ≥16, indicate elevated depression symptoms, and CES-D scores ≥24, indicate severe depression symptoms. This post COVID data was compared to already collected pre-COVID data. Data from pre vs post were compared within PCOS or T2D with a t-test or Mann Whitney U, and proportions with Chi-squared tests. Results: The pre-COVID-19 cohort included 91 girls (47 with PCOS, 44 with T2D) age 15±2 years and BMI z-scores (2.2±0.4). The post-COVID-19 cohort included 70 girls (33 with PCOS and 37 with T2D) aged 14.2±2.3 years and BMI z-scores 2.1±0.7. Pre-Covid moderate or severe depressive symptoms were observed in 30% and 23% of girls with PCOS vs 24% and 39% post-covid (p=0.306). In those with T2D, pre-COVID 18% and 14% had moderate or severe depressive symptoms, respectively, whereas post-COVID these rose to 27% and 43% (P=0.002). There was no change pre/post COVID in the mean CESD score in those with PCOS (18.8±11.6 vs 22.1±13.6; p=0.253), whereas there was a significant increase in overall CESD scores in T2D (12.9±10.6 vs 21.8±11.8; p<0.001). Dysglycemia was worse post-COVID in T2D only, HbA1c (Pre 7.25%[6.6,9.5] vs Post 8.6[7.7,11.4] p=0.006) but neither group demonstrated changes in systolic blood pressure, high density lipoprotein or alanine aminotransferase. Rates of home schooling were greatly elevated during COVID (PCOS pre 15% vs post 76% and T2D pre 5% vs post 55%). Both post-Covid groups reported high rates of loss of sports activities, social activity and friendships. Conclusions: Girls with PCOS and obesity had double the prevalence of depressive symptoms compared to youth with T2D prior to COVID. 6-18 months into the COVID epidemic, CESD scores remained unchanged in girls with PCOS, but were significantly worse in girls with T2D. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

Associations between WASH-related violence and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls and young women in South Africa (HPTN 068): a cross-sectional analysis

ObjectiveThere is a lack of research on experiences of WASH-related violence. This study aims to quantify the association between experience or worry of violence when using the toilet or collecting...

Neural Responses to Social Reward Predict Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ObjectiveAdolescent depression is increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly related to dramatic social changes. Individual-level factors that contribute to social functioning, such as temperament and neural reactivity to social feedback, may confer risk for or resilience against depressive symptoms during the pandemic.MethodsNinety-three girls (12–17 years) oversampled for high shy/fearful temperament were recruited from a longitudinal study for a follow-up COVID-19 study. During the parent study (2016–2018), participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging task eliciting neural activity to performance-related social feedback. Depressive symptoms were assessed during the parent study and COVID-19 follow-up (April–May 2020). In 65 participants with complete data, we examined how interactions between temperament and neural activation to social reward or punishment in a socio-affective brain network predict depressive symptoms during COVID-19.ResultsDepressive symptoms increased during COVID-19. Significant interactions between temperament and caudate, putamen, and insula activation to social reward were found. Girls high in shy/fearful temperament showed negative associations between neural activation to social reward and COVID-19 depressive symptoms, whereas girls lower in shy/fearful temperament showed positive associations.ConclusionsGirls high in shy/fearful temperament with reduced neural activation to social reward may be less likely to engage socially, which could be detrimental during the pandemic when social interactions are limited. In contrast, girls lower in shy/fearful temperament with heightened neural reactivity to social reward may be highly motivated to engage socially, which could also be detrimental with limited social opportunities. In both cases, improving social connection during the pandemic may attenuate or prevent depressive symptoms.

Connections among physical activity, motivation, and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls

Adolescence can be a difficult period of life characterised, among many other things, by a significant increase in depressive symptoms among girls. Recent studies have suggested that sedentary habits and self-determined motivation can be associated with depressive symptoms. The main goal of the present study was to examine the associations between physical activity levels, sedentary behaviours, and self-determined motivation and depressive symptoms in girls during adolescence. A total of 714 adolescent girls (16.53 ± 1.01 years) agreed to participate in the study. They completed a questionnaire including the scale of depressive symptoms, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Situational Motivation Scale. Participants’ smoking habits and body mass index were also assessed. Results showed that those adolescents who performed physical activity of moderate (odds ratio (OR): 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.31, 0.99) or high intensity level (OR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.21) had a significantly lower probability of suffering from depressive symptoms. Accordingly, the most sedentary group had a higher probability of suffering from depressive symptoms (OR: 4.90; 95% CI: 2.00, 11.54). Vigorous self-determined motivation was also a significant predictor of the lowest levels of depressive symptoms. In conclusion, results seemed to indicate that educators should promote the most self-determined types of motivation and physical activity habits in their students if they want to help prevent depressive symptoms.

Neural Response to Rewards, Stress and Sleep Interact to Prospectively Predict Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls

Blunted reward processing both characterizes major depressive disorder and predicts increases in depressive symptoms. However, little is known about the interaction between blunted reward processing and other risk factors in relation to increases in depressive symptoms. Stressful life events and sleep problems are prominent risk factors that contribute to the etiopathogenesis of depression and have been linked to reward dysfunction; these factors may interact with reward dysfunction to predict increased depressive symptoms. In a large sample of 8- to 14-year-old adolescent girls, the current study examined how blunted reward processing, stressful life events, and sleep problems at baseline interacted to predict increases in depressive symptoms 1 year later. Reward processing was indexed by the reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential elicited during a simple monetary reward paradigm (i.e., Doors task). Two-way interactions confirmed that a blunted RewP predicted increased depressive symptoms at (a) high levels of stress but not average or low levels of stress, and (b) high and average levels of sleep problems but not low levels of sleep problems. Finally, a 3-way interaction confirmed that a blunted RewP predicted increased depressive symptoms at high levels of stress and sleep problems but not average or low levels of stress and sleep problems. Thus, adolescents characterized by low reward response (i.e., blunted RewP) were at an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms if they experienced increased stressful life events or sleep problems; moreover, risk was greatest among adolescents characterized by all 3.

Longitudinal associations between problematic social media use and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls.

The primary aim of the current study was to examine longitudinal relation between problematic social media use (PSMU) and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. Adolescent girls (n = 397) were assessed in three time points across two years. PSMU and depressive symptoms were subjectively assessed at three waves spaced 2 years apart. Latent growth models were used to test whether changes in PSMU were related to changes in depressive symptoms, and whether baseline PSMU predicted changes in depressive symptoms and vice versa. Results revealed baseline PSMU was positively associated with baseline depressive symptoms (β = 0.29, p < 0.01), and changes in PSMU were related to changes in depressive symptoms (β = 0.22, p < 0.05). In addition, baseline depressive symptoms were predictive of changes in PSMU (β = 0.23, p < 0.05), but baseline PSMU did not predict changes in depressive symptoms. These findings provide evidence of positive associations between increasing PSMU and depressive symptoms and suggest that interventions should target reduction of PSMU to prevent adolescents' mental health problems.

Brief report: Longitudinal associations between physical activity, sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls

IntroductionPhysical activity (PA) and sleep disturbances (SD) are related with depressive symptoms in adults. However, evidence that PA and SD are prospectively associated with depression is mixed. The aim of this study was to examine longitudinal and bidirectional associations between PA, SD and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. MethodsA 2-year longitudinal study was conducted consisting of three waves, each separated by 1 year. The participants were 173 Estonian adolescent girls aged 14.3 ± 0.4 years (M±SD) who individually completed self-report measures of PA, SD and depressive symptoms. ResultsLatent growth modelling indicated that the increase in depressive symptoms was associated with an increase in SD and a decrease in PA. Baseline levels of depressive symptoms were predictive of changes in PA and SD, but not the other way around. Moreover, initial SD predicted decrease in PA. ConclusionsHigh levels of depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with lower PA and higher SD after two years but not vice versa in adolescent girls.

Longitudinal Associations Between Sedentary Behavior and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls Followed 6 Years.

To examine longitudinal associations between sedentary behavior and depressive symptoms among adolescent girls. A 6-year longitudinal study was conducted consisting of 3 waves, each separated by 3years. Participants' (n = 249, mean age 12.1y at baseline) sedentary behaviors were registered using ecological momentary assessment and girls completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Structural equation modeling of cross-lagged panel models was used to test longitudinal and bidirectional associations. The findings showed that the autoregressive effects were stable for sedentary behavior and depressive symptoms. The cross-lagged effects indicated that the depressive symptoms positively predicted sedentary behavior from early to late adolescence. However, sedentary behavior did not predict depressive symptoms across adolescence. This study shows 1-directional long-term effect of depressive symptoms on sedentary behavior in adolescent girls. Future research on longitudinal relationships between sedentary behavior and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents are needed.

Looking for the negative: Depressive symptoms in adolescent girls are associated with sustained attention to a potentially critical judge during in vivo social evaluation

Attention biases toward negative stimuli are implicated in the development and maintenance of depression. However, research is needed to understand how depression affects attention biases as they unfold in a dynamic social environment, particularly during adolescence when depression rates significantly increase due to enhanced reactivity to social stress. To examine attention biases in a live, socially evaluative environment, 26 adolescent girls from the community gave a speech in front of a potentially critical judge and a positive judge while wearing mobile eye tracking glasses. Girls' depressive symptoms were measured using the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire. Across the sample, girls looked at the positive judge more frequently and for longer periods of time compared with the potentially critical judge. In contrast, higher depressive symptoms were associated with looking at the potentially critical judge for longer periods of time. When directly comparing attention to the potentially critical judge relative to the positive judge, dysphoric girls looked at the potentially critical judge more frequently and for longer periods of time compared with the positive judge. Findings suggest that adolescent depressive symptoms are related to sustained attention toward potentially critical evaluation at the exclusion of positive evaluation. This novel approach allowed for an in vivo examination of attention biases as they unfold during social evaluation, which begins to illuminate the interpersonal significance of attention biases. If replicated and extended longitudinally, this research could be used to identify adolescents at high risk for future depression and potentially be leveraged clinically in attention bias modification treatment.

Neural Response to Pleasant Pictures Moderates Prospective Relationship Between Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls

Adolescent girls are at increased risk for depression, which is thought to result from the interaction of biological vulnerabilities and life stressors common to adolescent girls. A blunted late positive potential (LPP) to emotional stimuli (i.e., pleasant and unpleasant) has been associated with depressive symptoms and risk. The current study of adolescent girls examines the moderating effects of the LPP, a candidate biomarker of depression, of the link between life stress and increases in depressive symptoms over 1 year. We measured LPP to pleasant and unpleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture Set among 143 predominantly Caucasian adolescent girls ages 8 to 14, who also reported on the frequency of common life stressors. Self-reported depressive symptoms were assessed both at baseline and 1 year after the initial lab visit. The LPP to pleasant pictures moderated the relationship between baseline life stressors and the change in depressive symptoms. Specifically, life stress was associated with increases in depressive symptoms when the LPP to pleasant pictures was blunted, whereas life stress was associated with decreases in depressive symptoms when the LPP to pleasant pictures was potentiated. These effects showed some specificity to family and school-related stressors and to anhedonic and efficacy-related depressive symptoms. A similar pattern, though not statistically significant, was found for the LPP to unpleasant pictures. Together, these findings suggest that the LPP to pleasant pictures may represent a useful biomarker in identifying individuals at greatest risk of experiencing depressive symptoms following stress.

Diurnal Cortisol Interacts With Stressful Events to Prospectively Predict Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls

PurposeThe aim of present study was to test the diathesis-stress model of depression using baseline cortisol, prospective assessment of depression symptoms, and stressful life events. MethodsThe sample consisted of 527 adolescent girls aged 13.5–15.5 years without major depressive disorder. At baseline, saliva samples were collected at waking, 30 minutes after waking, and 8 p.m. on 3 consecutive days. Diurnal cortisol was indexed by cortisol awakening response (CAR) and area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg). Stressful events during the preceding interval and current depressive symptoms were assessed 18 months following baseline. ResultsStressful events and the interaction of CAR or AUCg with stressful events predicted depressive symptoms at 18 months, even after controlling for baseline depressive symptoms. Specifically, in the face of high levels of stress, baseline blunted CAR or smaller AUCg were associated with future depressive symptoms. This was more apparent for CAR than AUCg. The effect was reversed at low levels of stress, with heightened CAR associated with more severe depressive symptoms. ConclusionsBlunted CAR and less daily cortisol output at baseline appear to accentuate the depressogenic effects of stressful events after 18 months, consistent with the diathesis-stress model of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in depression.

Stress Reactivity as a Pathway from Attentional Control Deficits in Everyday Life to Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls.

The goal of this research was to expand theoretical models of adolescent depression to determine whether individual differences in cognitive processing-specifically attentional control deficits-help to explain increased risk for depression during adolescence. We also examined whether this pathway was stronger in girls than in boys. A longitudinal design was used to examine whether poor attentional control in everyday life (i.e., difficulties shifting between ideas, tasks, and activities) contributes to depression over time by fostering higher levels of stress reactivity. Youth (298 boys, 338 girls) completed questionnaires assessing stress reactivity (6th and 7th grades) and depressive symptoms (6th, 7th and, 8th grades); teachers completed the shifting subscale of the Behavior Rating Scale of Executive Function (Gioia et al. 2000a) to assess attentional control (6th and 7th grades). Structural equation modeling analyses provided support for the predicted pathway in girls but not boys, yielding a significant indirect effect from 6th grade shifting deficits to 8th grade depressive symptoms via 7th grade stress reactivity. These results suggest that attentional control deficits in early adolescence heighten girls' sensitivity to stress and consequent depressive symptoms, providing a critical direction for efforts to decrease adolescent girls' risk for depression.

Resilience Moderates the Effect of Stress on Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls

Resilience Moderates the Effect of Stress on Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls

Latent Growth Curve Analysis of Gender Differences in Response Styles and Depressive Symptoms during Mid-Adolescence

Consistent with Response Styles Theory, this study aimed to examine the prospective associations between changes in response styles and depressive symptoms during mid-adolescence, with a focus on gender differences. A 2-year longitudinal study was conducted consisting of three waves, each separated by 1 year. The participants were 663 Spanish adolescents (M = 13.50, SD = .75) who individually completed the Children’s Depression Inventory-Short and a short version of the Children’s Response Styles Scale. Girls showed higher rumination and lower distraction than boys and more depressive symptoms. A multivariate latent growth curve model indicated that the increase in depressive symptoms during mid-adolescence in girls was associated with an increase in rumination and a decrease in distraction. After a 2-year follow-up, changes in response styles to negative affect (in rumination and distraction independently and in the ratio score) were interrelated with the changes in depressive symptoms in adolescent girls.

Perceived emotional intelligence as a predictor of depressive symptoms during mid-adolescence: A two-year longitudinal study on gender differences

Current research has supported the role of perceived emotional intelligence as an important aspect of well-being and coping throughout the life span. This study aimed to analyse the association between changes in perceived emotional intelligence and changes in depressive symptoms during mid-adolescence, with a focus on gender differences. A two-year longitudinal study comprising three assessments separated by one year each was conducted. Self-report measures of perceived emotional intelligence and depressive symptoms were administered to 525 adolescents from 12 to 15years of age who were enrolled in 18 secondary schools in Andalusia (Spain). The results showed a lower emotional intelligence and more depressive symptoms in girls and an increase in depressive symptoms and a decrease in perceived emotional intelligence, especially in girls. A latent growth curve model indicated that gender differences in emotional repair partially explained the gender differences in depressive symptoms at each study assessment, and gender differences in the rate of change in emotional clarity were related to gender differences in the rate of change in depressive symptoms. Thus, gender-focused interventions to improve self-perceptions of emotional skills could be needed to prevent depressive symptoms in adolescent girls.

Brief report: Longitudinal associations between sedentary behaviours and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls

The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal associations between sedentary behaviours (SB) and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. Participants (n = 341) completed the self-report ecological momentary assessments diary for the measurement of sedentary behaviours and completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D) at three time points during a 4-year period. The association between SB and depressive symptoms over time was examined with latent growth models. Both depressive symptoms and SB increased over time. Baseline levels of depressive symptoms were predictive of change in SB, but initial levels of SB did not predict changes in depressive symptoms. These prospective associations remained controlling for age, home electronic equipment and socioeconomic status.

Bidirectional association between sedentary behaviour and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls

This study examined longitudinal and bidirectional association between sedentary behaviour (SB) and depressive symptoms (DS) in adolescent girls. Participants (n = 253) completed measures of SB and DS at three time points spanning a four-year interval. DS were obtained using the modified Centre for Epidemiological Depression Scale (CES-D). Weekday and weekend SB was assessed using a questionnaire. In the latent growth model, both SB and DS increased and the change in SB was positively associated with change in DS (β = 0.24). Higher levels of SB at baseline were associated with larger increases in DS over time (β = 0.23), and higher baseline levels of DS were associated with smaller increases in SB over time (β = −0.17). These findings suggest persistent longitudinal and bidirectional associations between SB and DS and encourage the design of interventions that limit sedentary time as a possible means of reducing adolescent depression.

Neural Reward Processing Mediates the Relationship between Insomnia Symptoms and Depression in Adolescence.

Emerging evidence suggests that insomnia may disrupt reward-related brain function-a potentially important factor in the development of depressive disorder. Adolescence may be a period during which such disruption is especially problematic given the rise in the incidence of insomnia and ongoing development of neural systems that support reward processing. The present study uses longitudinal data to test the hypothesis that disruption of neural reward processing is a mechanism by which insomnia symptoms-including nocturnal insomnia symptoms (NIS) and nonrestorative sleep (NRS)-contribute to depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. Participants were 123 adolescent girls and their caregivers from an ongoing longitudinal study of precursors to depression across adolescent development. NIS and NRS were assessed annually from ages 9 to 13 years. Girls completed a monetary reward task during a functional MRI scan at age 16 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed at ages 16 and 17 years. Multivariable regression tested the prospective associations between NIS and NRS, neural response during reward anticipation, and the mean number of depressive symptoms (omitting sleep problems). NRS, but not NIS, during early adolescence was positively associated with late adolescent dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) response to reward anticipation and depressive symptoms. DMPFC response mediated the relationship between early adolescent NRS and late adolescent depressive symptoms. These results suggest that NRS may contribute to depression by disrupting reward processing via altered activity in a region of prefrontal cortex involved in affective control. The results also support the mechanistic differentiation of NIS and NRS.

Peer Attachment and Youth Internalizing Problems: A Meta-Analysis

Peer relationships become the central arena in which attachment processes are likely to play out during adolescence and beyond, and contribute to various aspects of psychosocial adjustment. Given the relevance of peer connections and the growing literature examining them, the purpose of this article was to review, through a meta-analytic approach, the evidence of the links of youth close peer relationships with internalizing problems within the theoretical framework of attachment. Journal articles were searched in PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, ERIC, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases; in journals most likely to publish papers on peer attachment; and in reference lists of selected papers. Thirty-six studies were included in the meta-analysis. The findings showed significant moderate correlations between peer attachment and anxiety, depression, and internalizing problems. Additional analyses indicated that the dimensions of attachment more strongly related to depression were alienation and trust, whereas peer communication was weakly related to depression. Findings were characterized by significant heterogeneity across studies that was partially explained by the results of moderator analyses. This study suggests that secure peer attachment might make young people less vulnerable to symptoms of depression and anxiety. Insecure peer attachment, on the other hand, is associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing internalizing symptomatology. Additionally, this study shows the moderating effect of gender suggesting that peer attachment is more strongly related to depressive symptoms in adolescent girls.