Differences In Depressed Mood Research Articles

Adolescent Depressed Mood in a Multiethnic Sample

This research assessed whether there is an impact of race-ethnicity on depressed mood among adolescents, independent of socioeconomic status, whether gender differences in depressed mood are apparent within all race-ethnicity subgroups, and whether pubertal development influences depressed mood in a similar manner within gender and race-ethnicity subgroups. A three-stage, area probability sampling frame was utilized to select adolescents, ages 12–17 years, for an in-person interview. Depressed mood was assessed by the Children's Depression Inventory. Compared to Whites, African Americans, or Asian Americans, Latinos reported more symptoms of depressed mood, a finding that was independent of socioeconomic status. Advancing puberty was associated with depressed mood only among females, but the timing of pubertal changes, relative to ones peers, was related to depressed mood among both males and females, and among Latinos.

Stress, coping, HIV status, psychosocial resources, and depressive mood in African American gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men.

The associations between stress, physical health, psychosocial resources, coping, and depressive mood were examined in a community sample of African American gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men (N = 139). Data were collected from physical exams and in-person interviews. In our theoretical framework, depressive mood scores were regressed first on stressors, next on psychosocial resources, and finally on coping strategy variables. Results revealed that psychosocial resources mediate the effects of stressors, including health symptoms, hassles, and life events, on depressive mood. There were no significant differences in depressive mood associated with HIV status or sexual orientation. Results are discussed in terms of community interventions needed to provide social support as a buffer between stress and psychological distress in African American men.

Perceived family relationships and depressed mood in early and late adolescence: A comparison of European and Asian Americans.

This study examined perceived parent-adolescent relationships and depressed mood among 173 early adolescents and 297 college students, all of European or Asian American background. Ethnic differences in depressed mood, not evident in the early adolescent sample, emerged in the college sample, with Asian Americans reporting more symptoms. Ethnic differences in depressed mood were reduced to nonsignificant when quality of parent-adolescent relationships was statistically controlled. The magnitude of associations between measures of parent-adolescent relationships and depressed mood was strikingly similar for European and Asian Americans at the same phase of adolescence. As anticipated, perceived parent-adolescent relationships accounted for more of the variance in depressed mood in early adolescence than in late adolescence: 44% to 51 % for the junior high samples and about 10% for the college samples.

Gender, Social-Relationship Involvement, and Depression

Much of current thinking and research on gender differences in exposure and vulnerability to stress draws on the idea that the salience of social relationships for females is a major factor in their mental health. This study focused on gender differences in depressed mood, and the role of various interpersonal stresses, social supports, and relational involvements in accounting for this difference among adolescents. Findings from cross-sectional analyses using multiple-regression techniques reveal girls' higher levels of interpersonal caring orientation and involvement in the problems of significant others accounts for approximately 25% of the gender difference in distress. In tests of an interactive model of vulnerability, girls were not found to be more reactive to any of the interpersonal stress variables. However, in a context of family stress, girls who were involved in mother's problems or those having a strong interpersonal caring orientation had elevated depressed mood. These interactions do not a...

Assessing Life Stressors and Social Resources among Adolescents

A growing body of evidence points to the importance of life stressors and social resources in adolescent functioning. This article describes the Life Stressors and Social Resources Inventory-Youth Form (LISRES-Y), which provides an integrated assessment of life stressors and social resources in eight domains: physical health, home/money, parent, sibling, extended family, school, friend, and boy/girlfriend. The indices were developed on data obtained from four groups of youth: depressed youth, youth with conduct disorder, youth with rheumatic disease, and healthy youth. As expected, depressed youth reported more acute and chronic stressors and fewer social resources than did healthy youth. In addition, the indices were predictably associated with individual differences in depressed mood, anxiety, behavior problems, and self-confidence. Negative life events, ongoing stressors in different domains, and stable social resources all contributed unique variance to the functioning criteria. The findings point to the value of an integrated measure of adolescent life context.

Stress and Social Support as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites

We hypothesized that differences in depressed mood between Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites would be accounted for by ethnic differences in exposure or vulnerability to stress and in access to or effectiveness of social resources. We tested this hypothesis in a household probability sample of Mexican-Americans (N = 1,206) and non-Hispanic whites (N = 1,088). Mexican-Americans had higher depression scores, greater exposure to strain, and less access to some kinds of social support than did non-Hispanic whites. In contrast, Mexican-Americans' social networks were characterized by greater geographic proximity and less social conflict. Multiple regression analysis suggested that Mexican-Americans' greater exposure to stress accounted for their higher mean depression levels. There was no evidence for greater vulnerability to stress or lesser effectiveness of social support among Mexican-Americans. Low social conflict was protective against depression for Mexican-Americans.

Epidemiology of depressive mood in adolescents: an empirical study.

The epidemiology and correlates of depressive mood were measured in a representative sample of public high school students in New York State and a subsample matched to their parents. Depressive mood was measured by a self-reported scale validated in a clinical sample. Adolescents with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder scored higher than those with other psychiatric diagnoses. In the general adolescent sample, ex differences in depressive mood paralleled those previously reported for adults, with girls scoring higher than boys. Adolescents reported higher depressive mood than their parents, with the differences greater in daughter-mother than in son-father pairs. If judged by mood differences, adolescence was a stressful period in the life cycle. Lowest levels of adolescent depressive mood correlated with high levels of attachment both to parents and to peers. Sex differences in depressive mood in adolescents may be accounted for by masked depression and increased delinquency among boys as compared with girls.