Objectives: The present study investigated the association between motor activity and severity of depression in 6 depressed adolescent outpatients. Method: Motor activity was assessed by actigraphy and the severity of depression was assessed weekly using the CDRS-R. The levels of motor activity were analyzed by considering activity parameters. Results: Among the parameters of motor activity studied, the mean total activity, the mean 24-hour activity levels, the mean waking activity, and the mean activity level between 12:00 and 18:00 h were inversely correlated with severity of depression. The means of the 10 most active hours tended toward a negative correlation with the depressive severity score. Conclusion: The results seem to suggest an association between motor activity level and severity of depression in adolescents. Nevertheless, in order to reach a more conclusive understanding, it would be necessary to replicate this study using a larger number of individuals as well as a longer observation period.

Estudos de Psicologia I Campinas I 32(4) I 641-652 I outubro -dezembro 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-166X2015000400007 AbstractThe goal of this study was to evaluate family functioning in two groups of adolescents: adolescents with major depressive disorder (cases) and adolescents with no psychiatric disorders (controls). A total of 18 adolescents (13-18 years) and their first-degree relatives (N = 70) were evaluated. Cases and controls were matched for the adolescent's age, gender, level of education, number and age of siblings, parental marital status, and economic condition. A family therapist conducted the Structured Family Interview with each family to evaluate nine family functioning dimensions (communication, rules, roles, leadership, conflict, aggressiveness, affect, individuation, and integration). The interview transcripts were independently rated by two different family therapists blinded to case-control status, i.e., without knowing whether they were evaluating cases or controls. The raters scored all interview items using a standardized coding system (overall agreement = 83.5%), and when compared to the controls, the cases showed lower mean scores in seven dimensions, particularly affect (p = 0.0078). There was no difference between cases and controls regarding the dimensions rules and leadership. Difficulty in expressing affect in parent-child relationship was the main disturbance in the families of depressive adolescents evaluated. (comunicação, normas, papéis, liderança, conflito, agressividade, afeto, individualização, integração Family functioning is closely related to the physical and psychological well-being of family members and its impairment affects the family as a whole. High levels of parent-child conflict and disagreement have a negative impact on adolescents' mental health (Birmaher et al., 2004;Sheeber, Hops, & Davis, 2001). Moreover, psychopathology such as depression can appear whenever the basic needs for individual development are not provided for by the social and physical environment (Puissant, Gauthier, & Oirbeek;. The recognition that depressive disorders occur in an interpersonal context calls greater attention to the role of the family environment and its interaction processes as relevant factors to the development of depressive disorders during adolescence. Indeed, according to Sheeber et al. (2001;, family relations are important predictors of depression in adolescents. KeywordsWeich, Patterson, Shaw, and Stewart-Brown (2009) conducted a systematic review of large longitudinal studies of 10 or more years' duration with prospective data on relationships in the home during childhood (parent-parent or parent-child) and measures of common psychiatric disorders in adulthood. This review included 23 papers reporting data from 16 cohorts. The authors found that abusive relationships predicted depression, while maternal emotional unavailability in early life predicted suicide attempts in adolescence. These studies highlight the need to minimize harm associated with dysfun...

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Introduction: Disorders of circadian rhythms have been reported in studies of both depressed children and of depressed adolescents. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether there is a relationship between the 24-hour spectral power (24h SP) of the activity/rest rhythm and the clinical course of depression in adolescents. Methods: Six 14 to 17-year-old adolescents were recruited for the study. They were all suffering from major depressive disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria, as identified by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children: Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Children's Depression Rating Scale -Revised (CDRS-R) and clinical evaluations. Locomotor activity was monitored over a period of 13 consecutive weeks. Activity was measured for 10-minute periods using wrist-worn activity monitors. All patients were prescribed sertraline from after the first week up until the end of the study. Results: We found a relationship between high CDRS values and low 24-hour spectral power. Conclusions: The 24h SP of the activity/rest rhythm correlated significantly (negatively) with the clinical ratings of depression.