A social-development model of the evolution of depressive symptoms from age 13 to 30

Abstract

This 17-year prospective study applied a social-development lens to the challenge of identifying long-term predictors of adult depressive symptoms. A diverse community sample of 171 individuals was repeatedly assessed from age 13 to age 30 using self-, parent-, and peer-report methods. As hypothesized, competence in establishing close friendships beginning in adolescence had a substantial long-term predictive relation to adult depressive symptoms at ages 27–30, even after accounting for prior depressive, anxiety, and externalizing symptoms. Intervening relationship difficulties at ages 23–26 were identified as part of pathways to depressive symptoms in the late twenties. Somewhat distinct paths by gender were also identified, but in all cases were consistent with an overall role of relationship difficulties in predicting long-term depressive symptoms. Implications both for early identification of risk as well as for potential preventive interventions are discussed.

Pathways from adolescent close friendship struggles to adult negative affectivity

“…Given prior findings of long-term links from adolescent relationship competence to adult depressive symptoms Allen, Pettit, et al, 2022;Narr et al, 2019), this study also examined whether current findings could be simply an artifact of these links together with the overlap of depression and negative affectivity. Analyses thus examined predictions from adolescent close friendship qualities to negative affectivity in models that also covaried out concurrent (in addition to prior) levels of depressive symptoms.…”

“…Similarly, within experimental paradigms, peer rejection has been causally linked to short-term increases in adolescent depressive symptoms (Platt et al, 2013). More recently, a strong link from poor close friendship quality in adolescence to adult depressive symptoms has been identifieda link that remained even after covarying baseline levels of depressive symptoms in adolescence Allen, Pettit, et al, 2022;Narr et al, 2019). Notably, there is also evidence that, at least for males, this link is to some extent mediated via anxiety symptoms early in adulthood (Allen, Pettit, et al, 2022).…”

“…In considering these hypotheses, we assessed both direct predictions to adult negative affectivity, as well as predictions made after covarying the level of concurrent depressive symptoms. This latter approach was used to determine the extent to which relationship predictors have implications beyond just to the depressive elements of negative affectivity, with which they have been previously linked (Allen, Pettit, et al, 2022). Given substantial evidence that negative affectivity captures a combination of depression and anxiety (see review by Knowles & Olatunji, 2020), analyses of predictions that covary depressive symptoms also provide an estimate of the degree to which relationship predictors can account specifically for the anxiety components of negative affectivity.…”

Characterizing Emotional Support Development: From Adolescent Best Friendships to Young Adult Romantic Relationships

“…It may be that emotional support competence also serves as a marker of adolescents' broader emotional functioning, such that competent adolescents need less support going forward. Ongoing work has taken up this question, suggesting that adolescents' burgeoning ability to care for close others and respond to emotional need is a major marker of long‐term functioning (Allen et al., under review). This suggests that—while efforts to foster adolescent friendships may be difficult—targeting adolescents' underlying competence in managing emotions may support their engagement in high‐quality friendships (Allen et al., 2002; Costello et al., 2022; Wingspread, 2004).…”

“…The adolescent transition from parents to peers and romantic partners as primary sources of support has been a focus of study for decades (Allen & Land, 1999; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2020; Oudekerk et al., 2015; Waters & Sroufe, 1983). The ability to establish and maintain supportive, high‐quality relationships is a key skill across the lifespan (Allen et al., 2016; Allen et al., 2020; Allen et al., under review). With the adolescent focal shift toward peer relationships, a significant proportion of teens' learning about supportive relationships takes place with friends.…”