Ecology of depression in late childhood and early adolescence: A profile of daily states and activities.

Abstract

This study investigated daily states and time use patterns associated with depression. Four hundred eighty-three 5th to 9th graders reported on their experience when signalled by pagers at random times. Depressed youth reported more negative affect and social emotions, lower psychological investment, lower energy, and greater variability in affect. These differences were weaker for 5th and 6th graders, suggesting that self-reported feeling states are a poor indicator of depression prior to adolescence. No differences were found in the daily activities of depressed youths nor in the amount of time spent alone, but depressed youths experienced other people as less friendly and more often reported wanting to be alone, especially when with their families. They also spent less time in public places and more time in their bedrooms. Finally, depressed boys, but not girls, spent much less time with friends, particularly of the same sex, suggesting that social isolation is more strongly associated with depression for boys.Depression is diagnosed as a condition of psychological maladjustment to daily life. Diagnostic schemes, such as the revised third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-HI-R, American Psychiatric Association, 1987), identify cardinal symptoms that include distinct patterns of daily behavior (e.g. social isolation) and a list of psychological states (depressed mood, low energy, poor concentration, loss of interest in normal activities, feelings of fatigue, psychomotor agitation, and a sense of worthlessness) presumed to permeate much of a person's waking hours. Although there is an increasing recognition that depression may be expressed differently in childhood and adolescence than in adulthood (Carlson & Garber, 1986;Rutter, 1986), these features of daily

Emotion Regulation Mediates the Relationship between ADHD and Depressive Symptoms in Youth

“…Furthermore, boys' overall negative emotion during the Lego task predicted their non-compliance during a naturalistic summer camp program, even when core ADHD symptoms were controlled in the analyses. In a similar study, Maedgen and Carlson (2002) Brown, & Hoffman, 2006;Garber, Braafladt, & Weiss, 1995;Gross & John, 2003;Larson, et al, 1990;Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1993;Rude & McCarthy, 2003).…”

“…Moreover, research has suggested a negative association between ER ability and depression (e.g., Campbell-Sills, et al, 2006;Garber, et al, 1995;Gross & John, 2003;Larson, et al, 1990;Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1993;Rude & McCarthy, 2003).…”

“…Specifically, depressive affect and depressive disorders have been related to dysfunctional ER (i.e., maladaptive ER strategies and a limited repertoire of strategies) in both community (Larson, et al, 1990;Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1993;Reijntejes, Stegge, Terwogt, & Hurkens, 2007;Silk, Steinberg, & Morris, 2003) and clinical samples of youth (Garber, Braafladt, & Weiss, 1995;Ladouceur, et al, 2005). For example, in a series of studies comparing youth diagnosed with depressive disorders and those without such disorders, colleagues (1991, 1995) found that youth with depressive disorders reported poorer ER strategies (e.g., used fewer problem-focused and active distraction strategies and more avoidant, passive, and aggressive strategies) than youth in the comparison group.…”

Real-World Affect and Social Context as Predictors of Treatment Response in Child and Adolescent Depression and Anxiety: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

“…Developmental scientists conceptualize affect as having a social function (Campos et al 1994), and the affective experiences of children and adolescents with depression may therefore fluctuate especially closely with their social experiences. For example, adolescents with depression report experiencing sensitivity to social rejection and distress in social contexts (Larson et al 1990). Also, isolation from peer cliques is associated with increasing depressive symptoms during adolescence (Witvliet et al 2010).…”

Depressed adolescents' pupillary response to peer acceptance and rejection: The role of rumination

“…Understanding variation within depressed adolescents' response to peer feedback may identify which youth struggle more with these daily social interactions [14].…”