The Many Faces of Correlates of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents

Abstract

In a sample of White working-class adolescents, 21% scored above 12 on the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), with almost twice as many girls as boys in the high-CDI group. Maternal and adolescent reports indicated deficits in most areas of adolescent functioning in the high-CDI group. Within the high-CDI group, no differences in social class and family structure were found. No gender differences emerged for most correlates of depressive symptoms; both high-CDI boys and girls displayed coexisting internalizing and externalizing behaviors, including sad affect, withdrawal, antisocial behaviors, and substance abuse. Three differences appeared between high-CDI boys and girls. High-CDI boys considered themselves more unpopular, whereas high-CD! girls were seen as more externalizing by their mothers and more smoked than did high-CDI boys. Implications for interventions and research are discussed.