Adolescent depression in schools: + Contigo Project

Abstract

Background: Adolescent depression is considered a public health issue in Portugal, despite the lack of national epidemiological data. It involves a high degree of mortality, namely by suicide, which is the third leading cause of death in the 15-24 age group. Objectives: To assess the presence and severity of depressive symptoms in a non-clinical population of adolescents. Methodology: This is a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study, using the Portuguese version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The sample was composed of 741 adolescents. Results: The results show that 31.2% of the adolescents have depression and, of these, 17.7% have moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Girls have higher levels of depression (p=.00). The total mean score in the BDI-II was 12. Conclusion: Given the adolescents' high vulnerability to depression and suicide, it is essential to implement prevention programs in schools to promote the early detection of depression and suicidal behaviors, and the referral to mental health services.

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: Longitudinal Effects Of Emotional Regulation Moderated By Parental Support

“…Regarding the levels of depressive symptomatology in the present sample, girls presented significantly higher levels of symptomatology compared to boys. Although the magnitude of the means difference was small, these result is consistent with what has been verified in the literature (Cardoso, Rodrigues, & Vilar, 2004;Duarte et al, 2015;Erse et al, 2016;Ferreira, 2016;Gomes et al, 2015).…”

“…A review made by Costello, Copeland and Angold (2011) revealed an increase in the depression prevalence at the transition from childhood to adolescence, with the onset of depression at the second developmental stage being associated with a relatively stable and more severe course over time, with a greater risk of recurrence. Erse et al (2016) did a review of studies with non-clinical adolescent samples and found that 9.2% to 14% of adolescents suffer from moderate or severe depression, with a higher prevalence among girls.…”

Time series of hospitalizations of adolescents due to mental and behavioral disorders

“…A recent Brazilian study identified a prevalence of 30.0% of anxiety and depressive disorders in adolescence (6) . A similar result was found in Portugal, which presented an index of 31.2% of adolescents with symptoms of depression (7) .…”

The +Contigo Project in the Voice of Eight-Grade Students

“…Parents must give their consent for questionnaire application. In addition to adolescents, the intervention is also targeted at the members of the educational community (Erse et al, 2016;Santos, Simões, Erse, Façanha, & Marques, 2014) …”