Early Predictors of Adolescent Depression

Abstract

This study examined the longitudinal relationship of early elementary predictors to adolescent depression 7 years later. The sample consisted of 938 students who have been part of a larger longitudinal study that started in 1993. Data collected from parents, teachers, and youth self-reports on early risk factors when students were in 1st and 2nd grade were compared to adolescent self-reported depression 7 years later. Regression analyses were conducted with each risk factor separately and combined, while also examining gender and the gender × risk factor interaction. Results showed that the risk factors predominately in the individual characteristic group (depression, anxiety, and antisocial behavior) were predictive of depression 7 years later. Gender differences among the longitudinal risk factors were also found in relation to adolescent depression. Discussion of the results focuses on the practice of children’s mental health assessment and implications for the development of prevention and intervention programs for depression.