The hopelessness theory of depression is a prominent account of depression that posits that individuals with a negative inferential style are more likely to become hopeless when they experience negative life events (NLEs) and that hopelessness is a proximal cause of depression. There is strong evidence supporting the role of a negative inferential style in the pathogenesis of major depression; however, substantially less is known about the proposed role played by hopelessness. The cornerstone hypothesis of hopelessness theory, that hopelessness is a proximal cause of major depression, is largely untested. A small number of studies have generated inconclusive evidence that hopelessness mediates the relationship between a negative inferential style, NLEs, and depressive symptoms. The current study tested whether hopelessness mediates the relationship between a Negative Inferential Style × NLEs interaction and (a) 1st onset of a major depressive episode (MDE) and (b) depressive symptoms in a fully prospective design. A diverse sample of 249 adolescents, ages 12-13 years, were assessed at baseline and at 2 or more follow-ups over approximately 2.5 years. Self-report as well as life event and diagnostic interviews assessed inferential style, NLEs, hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and depression diagnosis. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that hopelessness mediated the relationship between a Negative Inferential Style × NLEs interaction and (a) 1st onset of an MDE as well as (b) depressive symptoms at higher levels of multiple types of NLEs. The current study demonstrates the validity of the hopelessness theory of depression and its continued clinical relevance in predicting depression in adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record

Objective: Extreme weather events pose major risks to human health and have a greater psychological impact on women and parents, but little is known about how they affect health risk behaviors. This study evaluated how disaster-related experiences before, during, and after Hurricane Irma were associated with mothers' health-risk behaviors, and the extent to which posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms potentially mediated these relationships. Method: Mothers (N = 534; 33% underrepresented minorities) residing in Southern Florida completed an online survey about their evacuation experiences before and hurricane experiences during and after Irma. Mothers also completed measures of PTSS, depressive symptoms, and health risk behaviors (i.e., substance use, sedentary behaviors, and difficulty falling or staying asleep). Confirmatory factor analysis assessed the fit of the health-risk behavior indicators on a latent factor. Structural equation modeling evaluated relationships between variables. Results: A one-factor model for health risk behaviors fit the data well. After controlling for income, loss and disruption after the storm and depressive symptoms were directly associated with mothers' health risk behaviors. Before-the-storm evacuation stressors, actual life-threatening events during the storm, and loss and disruption after the storm were related to mothers' PTSS and depressive symptoms and also associated with health risk behaviors indirectly via depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Stressful experiences before, during, and after hurricanes are associated with mothers' health-risk behaviors via postevent emotional distress. Health interventions should include strategies that help parents cope with the impact of extreme weather events, both before and after such events occur. Mothers' distress potentially could affect child health.

Adolescents’ lives undergo considerable reorganization during school transitions, which require establishing new peer relationships and participating in more demanding academic activities. Yet, little is known about how school-transition stressors affect adolescents’ feelings of social anxiety (SA) and depression, especially among Hispanic youth who are at elevated risk for school dropout. We examined school-transition stressors as predictors of adolescents’ SA and depressive symptoms and evaluated whether the tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking (RNT) (e.g., worry and rumination) served as a transdiagnostic mediating pathway. Participants were 461 Hispanic adolescents (Mage=14.22; 59% female) attending high school in a large metropolitan area of the U.S., who completed three surveys over the school year. At T1 (October), adolescents reported transition stressors related to school performance, peer pressure, teacher interactions, and school/leisure conflict, and current symptoms of SA and depression. At T2 (February), adolescents reported levels of RNT. At T3 (May), adolescents again reported symptoms of SA and depression. Structural equation modeling examined associations between transition stressors (T1) and symptoms of SA and depression at the end of the school year (T3) and whether RNT mediated these associations, controlling for gender and T1 symptoms. School performance stressors predicted increased SA and depressive symptoms at the end of the school year and RNT mediated these relationships. Furthermore, T1 peer pressure predicted T3 depressive symptoms. Overall, stressors during the high school transition affect Hispanic youth’s functioning, and RNT may be an important transdiagnostic target for interventions to reduce adolescent SA and depression.

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ObjectiveClimate-change has brought about more frequent extreme-weather events (e.g., hurricanes, floods, and wildfires) that may require families to evacuate, without knowing precisely where and when the potential disaster will strike. Recent research indicates that evacuation is stressful for families and is associated with psychological distress. Yet, little is known about the potential impact of evacuation stressors on child health. After Hurricane Irma, which led to a mass evacuation in Florida, we examined whether evacuation stressors and hurricane exposure were uniquely associated with youth somatic complaints, and whether youth psychological distress (i.e., symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression) served as a potential mediating pathway between evacuation stressors, hurricane experiences, and somatic complaints.MethodThree months after Irma, 226 mothers of youth aged 7–17 years (N=226; M age = 9.76 years; 52% boys; 31% Hispanic) living in the five southernmost Florida counties reported on evacuation stressors, hurricane-related life threat and loss/disruption, and their child’s psychological distress and somatic complaints using standardized measures.ResultsStructural equation modeling revealed a good model fit (χ2 = 32.24, p = 0.003, CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.08, SRMR = 0.04). Even controlling for life-threatening hurricane experiences (β = 0.26) and hurricane loss and disruption (β = 0.26), greater evacuation stressors were associated with greater symptoms of youth psychological distress (β = 0.34; p’s < 0.001), and greater psychological distress was associated with more somatic complaints (β = 0.67; p < 0.001). Indirect effects revealed that evacuation stressors (p < 0.001), actual life-threatening events (p < 0.01), and loss and disruption (p < 0.01) were all uniquely and indirectly associated with youths’ somatic complaints via youth psychological distress.DiscussionFindings suggest that even coping with the threat of a disaster may be sufficient to prompt psychological and physical health symptoms in youth. Due in part to climate change, threats of disaster occur much more often than actual disaster exposure, especially for areas that are prone to hurricanes or wildfires. Preparing youth and families residing in vulnerable areas for potential disaster evacuation or sheltering-in-place appears critical. Encouraging families to develop Disaster Plans and teaching stress management skills may reduce both youth distress and somatic health problems.