Depressive Symptoms In Children Research Articles

Adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: mediating roles of poor sleep quality and psychological inflexibility

ABSTRACT Previous studies have found that adverse childhood experiences can lead to depressive symptoms. But the underlying mechanisms have not been determined. Guided by the 3-P model of insomnia and acceptance and commitment therapy, this study examined the mediating role of poor sleep quality and psychological inflexibility in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 996 senior high school students in China (Mage = 16.57 years; SD = 1.03) completed the self-report measures of adverse childhood experiences, depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and psychological inflexibility. Multiple mediation analysis revealed that adverse childhood experiences were related to depressive symptoms through poor sleep quality and psychological inflexibility, serially. These findings point to potential targets in the prevention of and intervention in adolescent depressive symptoms.

Solution strategies for depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.

Solution strategies for depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.

Association between emotional abuse and depressive symptoms in Chinese children: The mediating role of emotion regulation

BackgroundEmotional abuse has been identified as a risk factor for children's depressive symptoms. However, the specific psychological mechanisms mediating this relation are not well understood. ObjectiveThis longitudinal study examined the relation of emotional abuse to subsequent depressive symptoms and the possible mediating role of emotion regulation among Chinese children. Participants and settingThe sample included 3633 children (45.5 % girls) with an average age of 9.96 years from a large city in southern China. MethodParticipants completed multiple measurements of emotional abuse, emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms on five occasions at six-month intervals, controlling for sex, age, and physical abuse and emotional neglect at Time 1. Latent growth curve modeling was applied to examine the longitudinal relations among the variables. ResultsResults showed (a) emotional abuse was significantly positively associated with subsequent depressive symptoms; (b) cognitive reappraisal mediated the relation between emotional abuse and depressive symptoms, but expressive suppression did not. ConclusionsThe results highlighted the mediating role of cognitive reappraisal in the relation between emotional abuse and depressive symptoms, suggesting that intervention programs targeting cognitive reappraisal may be effective to reduce the likelihood of depressive symptoms among Chinese children.

Longitudinal links between early adolescent temperament and inflammation among young black adults

A large body of research demonstrates that inflammation is involved in physical health problems that cause substantial morbidity and early mortality. Given inflammation’s role in the etiology of chronic diseases, pediatric scientists have begun to study childhood factors that presage elevation of inflammatory biomarkers later in life. The purpose of this study was to test hypotheses designed to determine whether early adolescent emotionally intense and low attention temperaments forecast (a) inflammation at ages 25 and 29 years and (b) worsening levels of inflammation between these two data points. Toward this end, 307 Black children from the rural southeastern United States participated in an 18-year longitudinal study (mean age at baseline, 11.2 years) to determine whether and how early adolescent’s behavioral styles or emotionally intense and low attention temperaments may be associated with absolute and worsening levels of inflammation in young adulthood. When children were 11–13 years of age, different teachers at each age provided assessments of emotionally intense and low attention temperaments. Thus, multiple measures of the same temperament constructs were obtained across 3 years for each participant. At age 25, participants provided data on their self-regulation abilities. Peripheral blood was collected at ages 25 and 29 years from which inflammation was quantified, using soluble urokinase plasminogen activator (suPAR), the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL) IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Covariates associated with inflammation in prior studies were also assessed; these included socioeconomic risk, gender, cigarette smoking, body mass index (BMI), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), depressive symptoms, and medication use. An early adolescent emotionally intense temperament was associated directly with higher suPAR and cytokine levels at age 29, and with worsening cytokine levels between ages 25 and 29. A low attention temperament was associated with suPAR levels at age 29. Collectively, these observations highlight pathways that could underlie health risks associated with early adolescent temperaments. The findings suggest that emotionally intense and low-attention early adolescent temperaments forecast higher and worsening inflammation levels across young adulthood.

Parents of children who are victims of trauma, allies or adversaries?

Introductiontrauma affects not the child but the whole family. how would the parents’ reaction to trauma influence the child’s resilience capacities?Objectivesstudy the mental health status of parents of children consulting the trauma and resilience unit.MethodsDescriptive and retrospective study of 20 consultants in the trauma and resilience unit at Mongi Slim hospital between January and April 2022. The evaluation of depressive symptoms in children was made by Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). The Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales were used to assess anxiety and depressive symptomatology in the parents of the consultants.ResultsThe mean age of the children was 10.46±3.24.The traumatic event was related to an assault in 75% of cases, 45% of which were intrafamilial, road accident and death of a relative in 10% respectively, 5% domestic violence.Five consultants had a CDI score ≥8 and 15 had a score >10. Only parents of children with a CDI score>19 had moderate to severe symptoms according to hamilton scales.The diagnosis of adjustment disorder was made in 45% of cases, post-traumatic stress disorder 20%, acute stress disorder 10% other 15%ConclusionsThe parents’ reaction to the tragedy would play a modulating role on the children’s resilience capacities. less anxious and depressed parents would help their child build his/her coping mecanisms.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Association between Childhood Maltreatment and Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Los Angeles

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poor mental health outcomes in adulthood. Childhood maltreatment is related to both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our objective was to investigate these associations among low-income, mostly Black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), as these may be a particularly vulnerable population group. Data come from a longitudinal study of MSM with varied substance use behaviors (n = 321) collected between August 2014 and April 2022. Cumulative, childhood maltreatment ACEs, and the single ACE of childhood sexual abuse were investigated as potential predictors of self-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms in mixed-effects logistic and ordinal regression models. There was no evidence of a dose-response relationship between the number of ACEs and the predicted probability of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Compared to MSM reporting fewer than five ACEs, those with five or more ACEs had approximately double the odds ratio of reporting depressive (OR = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.04–3.60) and anxiety symptoms (OR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.05–4.68). The dimension of childhood maltreatment had a more robust prediction of depressive symptoms than the dimension of household dysfunction across all models. The association between childhood sexual abuse history and depressive symptoms remained after adjustment for the other nine ACEs (OR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.11–4.68). The ordinal logistic model suggested that cumulative ACEs more than triple the odds of being in a higher anxiety category (OR = 3.12; 95% CI: 1.58–6.14), with associations reported for childhood maltreatment ACEs (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.06–1.66) and childhood sexual abuse (OR = 1.93; 95% CI: 0.89–4.21). Childhood maltreatment ACEs, particularly childhood sexual abuse, are salient predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among adult urban MSM. Mitigating the impact of childhood maltreatment requires understanding the additional burden of social distress often faced by MSM throughout the life course.

The relationship between childhood emotional neglect experience and depressive symptoms and prefrontal resting functional connections in college students: The mediating role of reappraisal strategy.

Childhood emotional neglect (CEN) has a relatively high incidence rate and substantially adverse effects. Many studies have found that CEN is closely related to emotion regulation and depression symptoms. Besides, the functional activity of the prefrontal lobe may also be related to them. However, the relationships between the above variables have not been thoroughly studied. This study recruited two groups of college students, namely, those with primary CEN (neglect group) and those without childhood trauma (control group), to explore the relationships among CEN, adulthood emotion regulation, depressive symptoms, and prefrontal resting functional connections. The methods used in this study included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The results showed that compared with the control group, the neglect group utilized the reappraisal strategy less frequently and displayed more depressive symptoms. The prefrontal functional connections with other brain regions in the neglect group were more robust than those in the control group using less stringent multiple correction standards. Across the two groups, the functional connection strength between the right orbitofrontal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus significantly negatively correlated with the ERQ reappraisal score and positively correlated with the BDI-II total score; the ERQ reappraisal score wholly mediated the relationship between the functional connection strength and the BDI-II total score. It suggests that primary CEN may closely correlate with more depressive symptoms in adulthood. Furthermore, the more robust spontaneous activity of the prefrontal lobe may also be closely associated with more depressive symptoms by utilizing a reappraisal strategy less frequently.

Factors influencing smart device addiction among preschool children: An extended protection-risk model perspective.

Today, users of smart devices are from increasingly younger generations, and their use is very common among preschoolers. The problem of smart device addiction in preschool children has attracted widespread attention, due to which this study explores the influencing factors in children aged 2-5 years. Based on the protection-risk model, 236 Chinese parents were surveyed, and the data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings show that parental emotion regulation significantly and negatively influences children's depression and social withdrawal symptoms, whereas it has a significant and positive influence on parental self-control as well as outdoor intention. Also, children's depression and social withdrawal symptoms have a significant and positive influence on their smart device addiction, whereas parental self-control and outdoor intentions have no significant influence on it. Moreover, children's social withdrawal and depression have a mediating effect between parental emotion regulation and children's smart device addiction, but parental self-control and outdoor intention have no mediating effect between the two. This study identifies the factors influencing children's smart device addiction from a new perspective, providing theoretical support to address this problem of addiction.

Bullying and sleep disturbance are mediators between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms

The relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescent depression has been recognized; however the indirect mechanisms linking them remain understudied. This study aims to explore whether peer bullying and sleep disturbance mediate this process based on the theory of latent vulnerability. We measured childhood maltreatment, peer bullying victimization, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms of secondary students using self-report questionnaires in three schools in Anhui Province, China, in November 2020. After analyzing the characteristics of 5724 youths with an average age of 13.5 years, we found that depressive symptoms were common among secondary school students (53.0%), and peer bullying, as well as sleep disturbance, partially mediated the effect of depressive symptoms on childhood maltreatment. Targeted interventions such as identifying and preventing childhood maltreatment, conveying anti-bullying messages, and ensuring sufficient sleep will help protect adolescents from depression.

Childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder: A network analysis.

Childhood trauma is related to an increased number of depressive episodes and more severe depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder. The evaluation of the networks of depressive symptoms-or the patterns of relationships between individual symptoms-among people with bipolar disorder with and without a history of childhood trauma may assist in further clarifying this complex relationship. Data from over 500 participants from the Heinz C. Prechter Longitudinal Study of Bipolar Disorder were used to construct a series of regularised Gaussian Graphical Models. The networks of individual depressive symptoms-self-reported (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; n=543) and clinician-rated (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17; n=529)-among participants with bipolar disorder with and without a history of childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) were characterised and compared. Across the sets of networks, depressed mood consistently emerged as a central symptom (as indicated by strength centrality and expected influence); regardless of participants' history of childhood trauma. Additionally, feelings of worthlessness emerged as a key symptom in the network of self-reported depressive symptoms among participants with-but not without-a history of childhood trauma. The present analyses-although exploratory-provide nuanced insights into the impact of childhood trauma on the presentation of depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder, which have the potential to aid detection and inform targeted intervention development.

The role of identity in the development of depressive, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms in adolescents exposed to childhood adversity.

Childhood adversity is a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders and has especially been associated with an admixture of depressive, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms. Identity formation, a main developmental task during adolescence, may be impacted by these adverse experiences and act as an important process in the association between childhood adversity and psychopathology. We investigated the association between childhood adversity, identity formation, and depressive, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms cross-sectionally in 1913 Flemish adolescents between 11 and 20 years old (mean = 13.76, SD = 1.86). Adolescents completed questionnaires during the first wave of the SIGMA study between January 2018 and May 2019. Childhood interpersonal adversity was associated with increased identity confusion and decreased identity synthesis. Additionally, identity confusion was associated with increased self-reported levels of psychopathology and potentially mediated the association between childhood adversity and psychopathology. This study highlights the importance of promoting healthy identity formation in adolescents with and without exposure to adverse childhood experiences.

Depressive disorders the source of origin and signals sent by children and adolescents that should alarm adults

Depression is a 'silent' illness. It often develops in solitude, is full of anxiety and takes away the joy and meaning of life. It is often believed that depression does not affect children and adolescents, but nothing could be further from the reality. Each year, statistics show more and more cases of depression in the age group of 7-18 years. This article addresses the issue of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. It shows how different their behaviour can be and what signals should be paid attention too. Only adults who are aware of this illness can interpret them and thus trigger supportive measures. Unnoticed depression can progress rapidly. Symptoms cannot be ignored by saying "you're so young, so you have no problems", "smile, it's all right", "pull yourself together" or "you'll be fine". Depression is a recurring illness, and if left untreated, it is very likely to reappear. Today's carers should be extremely attentive, because the COVID-19 pandemic, reports from the war, excess of shocking content in the media fuelled by detailed pictures and videos, warnings of new diseases and crises in the world have a very strong impact on the functioning of children and adolescents. Also, the emotional absence of parents and numerous life problems contribute to the emergence and deepening of mental disorders in younger and older children.

Maternal FGF2 levels associated with child anxiety and depression symptoms through child FGF2 levels

BackgroundRecent research implicates fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) in anxiety and depressive symptoms of childhood. This study is the first to examine an intergenerational pathway linking FGF2 levels in mothers to FGF2 levels in children, and to the children's anxiety and depressive symptoms. MethodsWe assayed serum FGF2 in 259 mothers and their children, with a range of anxiety and depressive symptoms: 194 were mothers of clinic-referred anxious and depressed children; 65 were mothers of non-referred children. We examined associations between FGF2 levels in mothers and children, and anxiety and depression symptoms. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine associations between maternal and child FGF2 levels, and between maternal and child FGF2 levels and symptoms of anxiety and depression in and children. ResultsFGF2 levels in mothers and children were significantly positively correlated. Children's FGF2 levels were significantly negatively correlated with their ratings of anxiety and depression. Results of the SEM model showed that increases in maternal FGF2 levels were significantly associated with increases in child FGF2, which in turn was associated with decreases in child anxiety and child depression, controlling for maternal anxiety and depression. LimitationsWe relied on self-reported ratings of anxiety and depression, and on a single measurement of FGF2 levels for each participant. ConclusionsOur results point to a role for FGF2 in the intergenerational transmission of risk for, and resilience to, anxiety and depression in youth.

Longitudinal associations between early childhood irritability and adolescent depression symptoms in autistic children are mediated by peer relationships but not educational engagement.

In the general population, irritability is associated with later depression. Despite irritability being more prevalent in autistic children, the long-term sequelae are not well explored. We tested whether irritability in early childhood predicted depression symptoms in autistic adolescents, and whether associations could be explained by difficulties in peer relationships and lower educational engagement. Analyses tested the longitudinal associations between early childhood irritability (ages 3-5) and adolescent depression symptoms (age 14) in a prospective inception cohort of autistic children (N = 390), followed from early in development shortly after they received a clinical diagnosis. Mediators were measured in mid-childhood (age 10) by a combination of measures, from which latent factors for peer relationships and educational engagement were estimated. Results showed early childhood irritability was positively associated with adolescent depression symptoms, and this association remained when adjusting for baseline depression. A significant indirect pathway through peer relationships was found, which accounted for around 13% of the association between early childhood irritability and adolescent depression, suggesting peer problems may partially mediate the association between irritability and later depression. No mediation effects were found for education engagement. Results highlight the importance of early screening and intervention for co-occurring irritability and peer problems in young autistic children.

Longitudinal Linkages Between Parent-Child Discrepancies in Reports on Parental Autonomy Support and Informants’ Depressive Symptoms

Although parent-child discrepancies in reports of parenting are known to be associated with child depressive symptoms, the direction of causality is unknown. To address this knowledge gap, this study contributes to existing literature by examining longitudinal within-family linkages between parent-child discrepancies in their reports on autonomy support and depressive symptoms of children, while also assessing these linkages with parents’ depressive symptoms. In addition, this study explored whether these linkages differ for father- versus mother-child discrepancies. Longitudinal data (six annual waves) of 497 adolescents (56.9% boys, Mage at T1 = 13.03, SD = 0.46), their mothers (N = 495), and their fathers (N = 446) of the Dutch study Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships (RADAR) were used. Counter to expectations, the results of a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model provided no evidence for within-family cross-lagged effects. Instead, stable differences between families explained linkages; in families where children reported on average higher levels of depressive symptoms, children also reported lower levels of autonomy support relative to their parents. There were no associations between parent-child discrepancies and parents’ depressive symptoms. Thus, the findings suggest that depressive symptoms are neither a consequence, nor a predictor of parent-child discrepancies in adolescence. The hypotheses and analytical plan of this study were preregistered in a project on the Open Science Framework.

Relations between maternal panic over COVID-19 and children's depressive symptoms: the moderating role of children's daily routines.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-04129-0.

Association between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood: The mediating and moderating roles of DNA methylation.

Prospective studies suggest that child maltreatment substantially increases the risk for depression in adulthood. However, the mechanisms underlying this association require further elucidation. In recent years, DNA methylation has emerged as a potential mechanism by which maltreatment experiences (a) could partly explain the emergence or aggravation of depressive symptoms (i.e., mediation) and/or (b) could increase (or decrease) the risk for depressive symptoms (i.e., moderation). The present study tested whether the methylation levels of nine candidate genes mediated and/or moderated the association between maltreatment experiences in childhood and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. The sample comprised 156 men aged between 18 and 35 years. Maltreatment experiences and depressive symptoms were assessed retrospectively using self-reported questionnaires. Methylation levels of nine candidate genes (COMT, FKBP5, IL6, IL10, MAOA, NR3C1, OXTR, SLC6A3 and SLC6A4), previously reported to be sensitive to early-life stress, were quantified from saliva samples. Maltreatment experiences in childhood were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. Both maltreatment experiences and depressive symptoms were associated with the methylation levels of two genomic sites, which cumulatively, but not individually, explained 16% of the association between maltreatment experiences in childhood and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. Moreover, maltreatment experiences in childhood interacted with the methylation levels of fourteen genomic sites, which cumulatively, but not individually, modulated the level of depressive symptoms in young male adults who were maltreated as children. However, none of these effects survived multiple testing correction. These findings bring attention to the cumulative effects of DNA methylation measured in several candidate genes on the risk of reporting depressive symptoms following maltreatment experiences in childhood. Nonetheless, future studies need to clarify the robustness of these putative cumulative effects in larger samples and longitudinal cohorts.

Physical Activity Interventions to Alleviate Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents

Depression is the second most prevalent mental disorder among children and adolescents, yet only a small proportion seek or receive disorder-specific treatment. Physical activity interventions hold promise as an alternative or adjunctive approach to clinical treatment for depression. To determine the association of physical activity interventions with depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to February 2022 for relevant studies written in English, Chinese, or Italian. Two independent researchers selected studies that assessed the effects of physical activity interventions on depressive symptoms in children and adolescents compared with a control condition. A random-effects meta-analysis using Hedges g was performed. Heterogeneity, risk of bias, and publication bias were assessed independently by multiple reviewers. Meta-regressions and sensitivity analyses were conducted to substantiate the overall results. The study followed the PRISMA reporting guideline. The main outcome was depressive symptoms as measured by validated depression scales at postintervention and follow-up. Twenty-one studies involving 2441 participants (1148 [47.0%] boys; 1293 [53.0%] girls; mean [SD] age, 14 [3] years) were included. Meta-analysis of the postintervention differences revealed that physical activity interventions were associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms compared with the control condition (g = -0.29; 95% CI, -0.47 to -0.10; P = .004). Analysis of the follow-up outcomes in 4 studies revealed no differences between the physical activity and control groups (g = -0.39; 95% CI, -1.01 to 0.24; P = .14). Moderate study heterogeneity was detected (Q = 53.92; df = 20; P < .001; I2 = 62.9% [95% CI, 40.7%-76.8%]). The primary moderator analysis accounting for total physical activity volume, study design, participant health status, and allocation and/or assessment concealment did not moderate the main treatment effect. Secondary analyses demonstrated that intervention (ie, <12 weeks in duration, 3 times per week, unsupervised) and participant characteristics (ie, aged ≥13 years, with a mental illness and/or depression diagnosis) may influence the overall treatment effect. Physical activity interventions may be used to reduce depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Greater reductions in depressive symptoms were derived from participants older than 13 years and with a mental illness and/or depression diagnosis. The association with physical activity parameters such as frequency, duration, and supervision of the sessions remains unclear and needs further investigation.

Functional connectivity analysis of childhood depressive symptoms

BackgroundChildhood depression is a highly distinct and prevalent condition with an unknown neurobiological basis. We wish to explore the resting state fMRI data in children for potential associations between neural connectivity and childhood depressive symptoms. MethodsA longitudinal birth cohort study with neuroimaging data obtained at 4.5, 6.0 and 7.5 years of age and the Children Depression Inventory 2 (CDI) administered between 8.5 and 10.5 years was used. The CDI score was used as the dependent variable and tested for correlation, both simple Pearson and network based statistic, with the functional connectivity values obtained from the resting state fMRI. Cross-validated permutation testing with a general linear model was used to validate that the identified functional connections were indeed implicated in childhood depression. ResultsTen functional connections and four brain regions (Somatomotor Area B, Temporoparietal Junction, Orbitofrontal Cortex and Insula) were identified as significantly associated with childhood depressive symptoms for girls at 6.0 and 7.5 years. No significant functional connections were found in girls at 4.5 years or for boys at any timepoint. Network based statistic and permutation testing confirmed these findings. ConclusionsThis study revealed significant sex-dependent associations of neural connectivity and childhood depressive symptoms. The regions identified are implicated in speech/language, social cognition and information integration and suggest unique pathways to childhood depressive symptoms.

Examining Adolescents' Mental Health Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: The current study characterized the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders on adolescents' internalizing symptoms and assessed predictors of adolescents' internalizing symptoms during the pandemic. Seventy-nine adolescents (18 autistic, 61 nonautistic) and their parents who participated in a previous study and were at least 10 years old ( M = 13.8, SD = 1.7) were invited to participate in three online follow-up surveys post-stay-at-home order (May through November 2020). Measures of children's anxiety and depressive symptoms, parenting practices, family togetherness, conflict, financial problems, and parental mental health during the pandemic were collected. Nonautistic adolescents experienced a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms across the beginning of the pandemic and a significant increase in depressive symptoms from pre- to post-stay-at-home order. Permissive parenting and financial problems predicted adolescents' depressive symptoms. Parental mental health difficulties and permissive parenting predicted adolescents' anxiety symptoms. Results underscore the need to support parents and youth.