Self-perceived competence and the relation between life events and depressive symptoms in adolescence: Mediator or moderator?

Abstract

In a 2-wave longitudinal study, 9th-grade students (A' = 468) completed self-report measures of stressful life events, depressive symptoms, and 5 domains of self-perceived competence (i.e., academic competence, social acceptance, physical appearance, behavioral conduct, and athletic competence). Teachers and peers also reported about the participants' depressive symptoms. ]n longitudinal analyses, negative (but not positive) events related to depressive symptoms. Results suggested that self-perceived competence served as a mediator (but not a moderator) of this relation. Negative events predicted changes in self-perceived competence. Self-perceived competence predicted changes in depressive symptoms. Also, the direct effect of negative events on depressive symptoms diminished after controlling for selfperceived competence. Stressful life events and depression are inextricably related. In adults and in young people, studies report consistent and significant correlations between negative life events and depressive symptoms (Compas, 1987; Johnson, 1986; Kessler, 1997). In adults, longitudinal research suggests that acute stressful events can lead to the recurrence of depression (Kessler, 1997). In children and adolescents, longitudinal studies demonstrate that stressful life events predict the onset or exacerbation of depression even after controlling for prior levels of emotional and behavioral problems (Compas,

The balance of intrinsic need satisfaction across contexts as a predictor of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents

“…The finding that the satisfaction of competence loses its importance in predicting depressive symptoms in adolescence is somewhat surprising considering that previous findings have extended Cole's competency model to adolescent and young adult populations (Tram & Cole, 2000;Urhlass et al, 2009). It could be that the intrinsic need for competence as defined by SDT is distinct from the construct of competency as defined by Cole.…”

“…Tram and Cole (2000) found that self-perceived competence predicted depressive symptoms in ninth graders and that self-perceived competence in all five domains mediates the previously established relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms (Kessler, 1997). Extending Tram and Cole's findings, Uhrlass, Schofield, Coles, and Gibb (2009) found that depressive symptoms were significantly negatively correlated to levels of perceived scholastic competence and to social acceptance in undergraduate students.…”

Cognitive adaptation and mental health: A motivational analysis

“…Several research findings support this hypothesis. Indeed, previous studies have found that positive perceptions of oneself are positive predictors of dimensions like competence, motivation, persistence, performance level, and effort (Bandura, 1977;Felson, 1984;Tran & Cole, 2000). In sum, components of CAT appear to foster a more self-determined motivation.…”

A Prospective Study of Brooding and Reflection as Moderators of the Relationship between Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence

“…Additionally, stress researchers have suggested that stress in particular domains and the related sequelae of domain specific stress may exert unique effects on later depressive symptoms (Kendler et al 2001). However, the majority of prior studies on the effects of stress on mental health among adolescents have operationalized stress as a unitary construct assessed by global measures of overall exposure to stress (Tram and Cole 2000;Ge et al 2001). Stressors may be differentiated by the extent to which stressors are dependent or independent of the individuals, as well as differentiated by domains that may have particular salience to the individual.…”