Sex differences were found in the functioning of the BDI-II, more relevant at 17 years of age, which may lead to an overestimation of symptoms among girls as well as to lower reported rates of depression among boys. For a higher diagnostic accuracy it is important that the criteria and instruments used to assess depression adequately reflect female and male common symptoms and experiences of depression.

The available estimates reveal that 20–50% of adolescents report depressive symptoms, being one of the most prevalent health problems in adolescence. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a community sample of 13-year-old adolescents and identify associated features. Thirteen year-old adolescents attending private and public schools in Porto (n = 1,988, 52.2% females) were evaluated from October 2003 to June 2004 and completed a questionnaire including health behaviors and the Beck Depression Inventory II. A questionnaire on parents’ socio-demographics and clinical characteristics was sent home. Data were analyzed separately by sex. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 18.8% in girls and 7.6% in boys (p < 0.001). Boys with a family history of depression and girls with smoking habits had a significantly increased risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 2.18, 95%CI 1.00–4.71; OR = 2.34, 95%CI 1.46–3.76). Menarche at an early age significantly increased the risk of depressive symptoms. The characteristics most strongly associated with depressive symptoms were family history of depression among boys, tobacco consumption and an early age at menarche among girls. The high prevalence of depressive symptoms early in adolescence calls for the awareness of public health professionals.

The relationship between renal function and the prevalence of Cognitive Dysfunction was not linear, but rather in a parabolic shape. Further studies are needed to explain this relationship and to determine the need for monitoring Cognitive Dysfunction in patients with impaired renal function.

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Depression is the most important source of disability in adolescents, partially due to its recurrence. There is a lack of studies on population-based samples investigating the continuity of depressive symptoms during adolescence. This study evaluates depressive symptoms at early adolescence as predictors of depressive symptoms later in adolescence. Urban adolescents born in 1990 and enrolled in schools of Porto, Portugal, in 2003-2004 (EPITeen study) were evaluated at 13 and 17 years (n = 1106, 55.9% females), and completed a questionnaire comprising health behaviors and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) to assess depressive symptoms. A questionnaire on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics was self-reported. Regression coefficients (β) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using simple linear regression. The prevalence of adolescents with depressive symptoms above the cut-off (BDI-II > 13) was 11.9% at 13 years (girls: 17.1%; boys: 5.3%) and 10.8% at 17 years (girls: 14.7%; boys: 5.7%). Almost 6% of girls and 2% of boys had BDI-II > 13 at both assessments, and 35% of girls and boys with BDI-II > 13 at baseline also had BDI-II > 13 at follow-up. For both genders, depressive symptoms at age 13 were independently associated with depressive symptoms at age 17 (girls: β = 0.35, 95% CI 0.28-0.42; boys: β = 0.37, 95% CI 0.30-0.44). Depressive symptoms at age 13 were an independent predictive factor for adolescents' depressive symptoms at age 17. The prevalence of adolescents with BDI-II > 13 was higher in females, but the strength of this association was similar in both genders, highlighting the heavy burden of depressive symptoms already at an early age, among girls and boys.