Youth Depressive Symptoms Research Articles

Profile of depression in adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease: Implications for treatment

The purpose was to determine the utility of including neurovegetative symptoms in assessments of depression in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Forty-one youth with IBD and concurrent depressive symptomatology were enrolled in an intervention trial and received either 9 modules of cognitive-behavioral therapy (PASCET-PI) or treatment as usual (TAU). Youth and their primary caregivers completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) at pre- (T1) and posttreatment (T2). Disease severity measures and current steroid dosage were obtained at each timepoint. Change in the individual items of the CDI was compared across groups and examined in association with change in physical illness course. Paired sample t-tests revealed significant changes in CDI item scores from T1 to T2 for a majority of the depressive symptoms assessed in the PASCET-PI group, but not for the TAU group. These changes did not appear to be linked to changes in disease severity and/or steroid dosage across these same timepoints. The inclusion of somatic items in the assessment of depression in physically ill youth is important, as these symptoms seem to respond to psychotherapeutic intervention. The present results would suggest that improvements in depressive symptomatology are not solely related to improvements in the course of IBD and that these items do reflect an important part of the profile of depressive symptoms in youth with IBD. Future research is warranted to replicate present findings and explore the generalizability of these results to other pediatric illness populations.

Maternal Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Adolescent Psychosocial Functioning

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by severe disruption of interpersonal relationships, yet very little research has examined the relationship between maternal BPD and offspring psychosocial functioning. The present study examined 815 mothers and their 15-year-old children from a community-based sample to determine (1) if there is an association between mothers' BPD symptoms and the interpersonal functioning, attachment cognitions, and depressive symptoms of their offspring, and (2) if the association of maternal BPD and youth outcomes is independent of maternal and youth depression. Measures of youth psychosocial functioning included self, mother, interviewer rated, and teacher reports. Results indicated that there was a significant association between maternal BPD symptoms and youth outcomes, and that this association remained even after controlling for maternal lifetime history of major depression, maternal history of dysthymic disorder, and youth depressive symptoms. This study provides some of the first empirical evidence for a link between mother's BPD symptoms and youth psychosocial outcomes.

Cultural Orientations, Daily Activities, and Adjustment in Mexican American Youth

The links between youth's daily activities and adjustment and the role of cultural practices and values in these links were studied in 469 youth from 237 Mexican American families. In home interviews, data on mothers', fathers', and two adolescent-age siblings' cultural practices (language use, social contacts) and values (for familism, for education achievement) were collected, along with data on youth risky behavior and depressive symptoms. In 7 nightly phone calls, youth reported on their day's free time activities (i.e., sports, academics, religious activities, television viewing, and hanging out). Analyses revealed that youth who spent more time in unsupervised hanging out reported more depressive symptoms and risky behavior, and those who spent more time in academic activities reported less risky behavior. Results also indicated that more Anglo-oriented youth spent more time in sports, that more Mexican-oriented youth spent more time watching television, that fathers' familism values were related to youth's time in religious activities, and that parents' educational values were linked to youth's time in academic activities. Some evidence indicated that parents' cultural practices and values, particularly fathers', moderated the links between daily activities and youth adjustment.

Reducing depression among at-risk early adolescents: Three-year effects of a family-centered intervention embedded within schools.

The Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP) is a family-focused multilevel prevention program designed for delivery within public middle schools to target parenting factors related to the development of behavior problems in early adolescence. The current study examines the effects of the ATP on the development of youth depressive symptoms across early adolescence in a sample of 106 high-risk youths. Youths were recruited in 6th grade, and selected as high risk based on teacher and parent reports of behavioral or emotional problems. Depression symptoms were based on youth and mother reports in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. Receipt of the family-centered intervention inhibited growth in depressive symptoms in high-risk youths over the 3 yearly assessments compared with symptoms in high-risk youths in the control group. Results support the notion that parental engagement in a program designed to improve parent management practices and parent-adolescent relationships can result in collateral benefits to the youths' depressive symptoms at a critical transition period of social and emotional development.

The Influence of Caregiver Depressive Symptoms on Proxy Report of Youth Depressive Symptoms: A Test of the Depression-Distortion Hypothesis in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes

To test the depression-distortion hypothesis in pediatric type 1 diabetes. In a sample of 187 youth with type 1 diabetes, caregivers completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI): parent proxy report. Youth completed the CDI. To test whether caregiver depressive symptoms (CES-D) moderated the proxy report of youth depressive symptoms (CDI:P), the CDI, CES-D, and their interactions were entered as predictors in to a regression analysis. The regression was significant, F (8,178) = 9.26, p <.0001, R(2) =.29, and all three variables were significant predictors. Post-hoc probing of the interaction showed that caregivers with high CES-D scores reported high levels of youth depressive symptoms at both high and low levels of youth-reported depressive symptoms. In contrast, caregivers with low CES-D scores reported similar levels as the youth. These results support the depression-distortion hypothesis in a pediatric chronic disease sample.

Linkages Between Parents’ Differential Treatment, Youth Depressive Symptoms, and Sibling Relationships

We tested social comparison predictions about cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between parents’ differential treatment of siblings and both youth depressive symptoms and sibling relationship qualities from middle childhood to late adolescence, controlling for dyadic parent‐child relationships and siblings’ ratings of parents’ fairness. Participants were parents and first‐ and second‐borns (M= 11.8 and 9.2 years old at Year 1) from 201 White, middle/working‐class families. Three‐level models revealed both cross‐sectional and longitudinal linkages between differential treatment and outcomes. For example, youth whose parent‐child relationships decreased in warmth relative to those of their sibling reported increases in depressive symptoms and decreases in sibling warmth. Gender and age moderated differential treatment‐depressive symptoms associations; birth order moderated differential treatment‐sibling relationship associations.

A Hopelessness Model of Depressive Symptoms in Youth with Epilepsy

To test the cognitive diathesis-stress and mediational components of the theory of learned hopelessness in youth with epilepsy. Seventy-seven participants ages 9-17 (35 girls, 42 boys) completed measures of depressive symptoms, hopelessness, self-efficacy for seizure management, and attitude toward epilepsy. Caregivers provided information on seizure activity. Diagnostic and treatment information was obtained via medical record review. Regression analyses revealed that hopelessness mediated the attitude towards epilepsy-depressive symptom relationship. While attitude toward epilepsy and self-efficacy were independent predictors of depressive symptoms, the relationship of attitudes toward epilepsy and depressive symptoms was not enhanced with low self-efficacy for seizure management. Findings support the mediation component of the learned hopelessness theory in youth with epilepsy, suggesting the importance of interventions that assist youth in identifying epilepsy-related aspects of functioning over which they can realistically exercise control and challenging negative thoughts about situations they cannot control.

The Psychosocial Adjustment of African American Youth from Single Mother Homes: The Relative Contribution of Parents and Peers

This study examined the relative roles of parents and peers in the psychosocial adjustment of African American youth (7–15 years old) from single mother homes (N = 242). Main effects of both positive parenting and peer relationship quality were found for youth depressive symptoms. In addition, a main effect of peer relationship quality and an interaction of Positive Parenting × Peer Relationship Quality emerged for youth externalizing symptoms. When mothers engaged in higher levels of positive parenting behavior, peer relationship quality was not associated with youth externalizing symptomatology. When mothers engaged in lower levels of positive parenting behavior, however, higher peer relationship quality was associated with greater youth externalizing symptomatology. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Depressogenic inferential styles, negative events, and depressive symptoms in youth: An attempt to reconcile past inconsistent findings

Research examining the diathesis-stress component of the hopelessness theory (HT) in youth has provided mixed support for the theory. One explanation for inconsistent findings is the failure to consider relationships among the three inferential styles posited to serve as vulnerability factors by the theory. The weakest link hypothesis posits that an individual is as vulnerable to depression as his/her most depressogenic inferential style (DIS) makes him/her. A second explanation is that researchers have operationalized “high stress” from a nomothetic, as opposed to an idiographic, perspective. The current study tested the diathesis-stress component of the HT in 230 third-grade and 152 seventh-grade schoolchildren using both a weakest link and an idiographic approach towards analysis. Children completed measures assessing depressive symptoms and DISs. Children subsequently completed measures assessing depressive symptoms and negative events once a week for 6 weeks. Hierarchical linear modeling and time-lagged analyses indicated that a depressogenic weakest link was associated with greater elevations in depressive symptoms following elevations in stress.

Gender Differences in the Interpersonal Consequences of Early-Onset Depressive Symptoms

Although research has identified gender differences in the interpersonal antecedents of depressive symptoms in youth, little is known about gender differences in the interpersonal consequences of depression. The goal of the present research was to examine gender differences in the influence of early-onset depressive symptoms on adolescent friendships and self-perceived peer acceptance. Third-graders (N = 382) participated in a multiwave longitudinal study through the sixth grade. Parents reported on youths' depressive symptoms. Youths reported on the quality of their perceived best friendship and their perceptions of peer acceptance. Reciprocal nominations of friendship were assessed through reports by youths and their classmates. Consistent with expectations, depressive symptoms contributed to subsequent declines in the number of reciprocal friendships and to poorer perceived friendship quality in girls but not in boys. Depressive symptoms predicted declines in subsequent perceived peer acceptance in both girls and boys. These findings contribute to theories regarding gender differences in relationships and gender-linked interpersonal processes in depression.

Using Tobit Regression Analysis to Further Understand the Association of Youth Alcohol Problems with Depression and Parental Factors among Korean Adolescent Females

This study characterized the extent to which youth depressive symptoms, parental alcohol problems, and parental drinking account for differences in alcohol-related problems among a large sample of adolescent females. The stratified sample consists of 2077 adolescent females from twelve female-only high schools located in a large metropolitan city in the Republic of Korea. Students completed a questionnaire about alcohol use and alcohol problems, their parents' alcohol problems, and a number of risk and protective factors. Data were analyzed using tobit regression analyses to better characterize the associations among variables. Almost two-thirds of students who consume alcohol had experienced at least one to two alcohol-related problems in their lives and 54.6% reported at least one current symptom of depression, with nearly one-third reporting two depressive symptoms. Two-thirds of the students indicated that at least one parent had an alcohol-related problem, and that approximately 29% had experienced several problems. Results of tobit regression analyses indicate that youth alcohol-related problems are positively associated with depressive symptoms (p<0.01) and parent drinking problems (p<0.05). Parental drinking is no longer significant when the variable parental attention is added to the model. Decomposition of the tobit parameters shows that for every unit of increase in depressive symptoms and in parent drinking problems, the probability of a youth experiencing alcohol problems increases by 6% and 1%, respectively. For every unit of increase in parental attention, the probability of youth experiencing drinking problems decreases by 5%. This study presents evidence that alcohol-related problems and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among adolescent females. Although a comprehensive public health approach is needed to address drinking and mental health problems, different interventions are needed to target factors associated with initiation of alcohol problems and those associated with increased alcohol problems among those who already began experiencing such problems.

Mothers' and Fathers' Racial Socialization in African American Families: Implications for Youth

Mothers' and fathers' cultural socialization and bias preparation with older (M=13.9 years) and younger (M=10.31 years) siblings were studied in 162 two-parent, African American families. Analyses examined whether parental warmth and offspring age and gender were linked to parental practices and whether parents' warmth, spouses' racial socialization, or youth age or gender moderated links between racial socialization and youth outcomes. Parental warmth was linked to parents' socialization. Mothers engaged in more socialization with older offspring, and fathers more with sons. Mothers' cultural socialization was positively related to youth ethnic identity and fathers' was negatively related to youth depression symptoms. Youth exhibited a lower locus of control when mothers were high but fathers were low in racial socialization.

Long-Term Outcomes of an Australian Universal Prevention Trial of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Children and Youth:An Evaluation of the Friends Program

This study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of the FRIENDS Program in reducing anxiety and depression in a sample of children from Grade 6 and Grade 9 in comparison to a control condition. Longitudinal data for Lock and Barrett's (2003) universal prevention trial is presented, along with data from 12-month follow-up to 24- and 36-month follow-up. Results of this study indicate that intervention reductions in anxiety reported in Lock and Barrett were maintained for students in Grade 6, with the intervention group reporting significantly lower ratings of anxiety at long-term follow-up. A significant Time × Intervention Group × Gender Effect on Anxiety was found, with girls in the intervention group reporting significantly lower anxiety at 12-month and 24-month follow-up but not at 36-month follow-up in comparison to the control condition. Results demonstrated a prevention effect with significantly fewer high-risk students at 36-month follow-up in the intervention condition than in the control condition. Results are discussed within the context of prevention research.

Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

Depression in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes has been associated with negative diabetes-related health outcomes such as poorer glycemic control (1–5) and recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) admissions (6,7). While mechanisms that link depression and suboptimal health outcomes are poorly understood (8), it is apparent that the chronicity of type 1 diabetes and the demands of management provide a fertile environment for adjustment problems. Our aim was to investigate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their association with demographic, diabetes-specific, and family-functioning variables. Study participants were 145 youth and their parents (107 mothers, 35 fathers, and 3 guardians) who received care at a pediatric diabetes center from a multidisciplinary team. The sample of 145 youth (56% female) had a mean age of 14.9 ± 2.3 years (range 10–18). Duration of type 1 diabetes was 8.3 ± 3.5 years, and mean HbA1c (A1C) was 8.7 ± 1.4%. At the time of the participant’s clinic appointment, a trained research assistant obtained written informed consent and assent and then administered questionnaires. This sample of 145 parent-youth dyads represented 88% of the families approached. Insulin dose and frequency of insulin injections were documented by the youth’s medical provider. Frequency of blood glucose monitoring (BGM) was documented through meter downloads and parent report. Each participant provided a sample of blood for A1C, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (reference range 4.0–6.0%, Tosoh 2.2; Tosoh Bioscience, South San Francisco, CA). Depressive symptoms in youth were assessed with the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) (9), a self-report questionnaire consisting of 27 …

Specificity in Personality and Cognitive Factors Associated with Drinking and Depressive Symptoms

The purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate whether personality and cognitive factors associated with depression and drinking were behavior-specific or general to problem behavior in youth. High school students aged 14-18 completed measures of trait disinhibition, trait inhibition, alcohol expectancies, and generalized outcome expectancies. Linear regression determined the relative contribution of each set of personality and cognitive variables in predicting drinking symptoms and symptoms of depression in youth. In the case of depression, depression factors, particularly cognitive factors, predicted 42% of the variance above and beyond background and alcohol variables. In the case of drinking, drinking risk factors predicted 42% of the variance in drinking symptoms above and beyond demographic variables and variables associated with depression. Despite small cross over in prediction (e.g., alcohol variables accounting for 4% unique variance in depression), personality and cognitive factors associated with drinking and depression were largely specific in this adolescent sample.

School-based prevention of depression and anxiety symptoms in early adolescence: A pilot of a parent intervention component.

Previous studies suggest that school-based cognitive-behavioral interventions can reduce and prevent depressive symptoms in youth. This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral depression prevention program, the Penn Resiliency Program for Children and Adolescents (the PR

Brief report: A longitudinal investigation of the relation between a negative cognitive triad and depressive symptoms in youth

The present study examined self-reported depressive symptoms and associated cognitive features by reporting data from a 1-year longitudinal study of a community sample of 93 children and 69 adolescents. Results revealed that in childhood a negative cognitive triad appeared to be more a consequence than a predictor of depressive symptoms after 1 year. In adolescence, a negative view of the future was predictive of depressive symptoms after 1 year. A negative cognitive triad also appeared to be a consequence of depressive symptoms. The results imply that in youth depressive symptoms produce changes in the cognitive style, which may put them at risk for future episodes of depression.

Influences and Mediators of the Effect of Poverty on Young Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

Data from a sample of young adolescents between the ages of 10 and 12 years (N = 898) from the mother–child data set of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were analyzed in a study of influences that explain the relation between poverty and depressive symptoms measured 2 years later. Other variables that predicted youth depressive symptoms were also identified. Results indicated that neighborhood problems, nonparticipation in outside school and neighborhood activities, residing with mothers who exhibited depressive symptoms, and mother's use of physical punishment were partial mediators of the effect of poverty on depressive symptoms 2 years later. Youth health status, lower levels of school satisfaction, marital-partner conflict, and father's emotional support also predicted depressive symptoms. The findings indicate that youth depressive symptoms are multiply determined and that poverty can adversely affect young adolescents in many ways.

Impact of Adolescents' Perceived Self-Regulatory Efficacy on Familial Communication and Antisocial Conduct

The present study tested the hypothesis that perceived self-efficacy to resist peer pressure for high-risk activities is related to transgressive con- duct, both directly and through the mediation of open familial communi- cation. Adolescents rated their self-regulatory efficacy, openness of com- munication with parents, and their involvement in delinquent conduct and substance abuse. Results of structural equation modeling confirmed that a high sense of efficacy to ward off negative peer influences was accompanied by open communication with parents about activities out-

The genetic architecture of depression and anxiety in youth

Twin studies of symptoms of depression and anxiety in youth suggest moderate to marked heritabilities similar to those found in adult studies.Adult-twin studies using multivariate techniques also suggest that certain forms of anxiety largely overlap with depression in genetic terms. Family studies of affective disorders and anxiety disorders that include youth are reviewed from the point of view of whether evidence exists for shared genetic factors between childhood depression and anxiety syndromes.