Affective, Biological, and Cognitive Predictors of Depressive Symptom Trajectories in Adolescence

Abstract

Heterogeneity in the longitudinal course of depressive symptoms was examined using latent growth mixture modeling among a community sample of 382 U.S. youth from ages 11 to 18 (52.1% female). Three latent trajectory classes were identified: Stable Low (51%; displayed low depressive symptoms at all assessments), Increasing (37%; reported low depressive symptoms at age 11, but then significantly higher depressive symptoms than the Stable Low class at ages 13, 15, and 18), and Early High (12%; reported high early depressive symptoms at age 11, followed by symptoms that declined over time yet remained significantly higher than those of the Stable Low class at ages 13, 15, and 18). By age 15, rates of Major Depressive Disorder diagnoses among the Early High (25.0%) and Increasing (20.4%) classes were more than twice that observed among the Stable Low class (8.8%). Affective (negative affectivity), biological (pubertal timing, sex) and cognitive (cognitive style, rumination) factors were examined as predictors of class membership. Results indicated general risk factors for both high-risk trajectories as well as specific risk factors unique to each trajectory. Being female and high infant negative affectivity predicted membership in the Increasing class. Early puberty, high infant negative affectivity for boys, and high rumination for girls predicted membership in the Early High class. Results highlight the importance of examining heterogeneity in depression trajectories in adolescence as well as simultaneously considering risk factors across multiple domains.

Heterogeneity in long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms: Patterns, predictors and outcomes

“…Parental depressive symptoms (Stoolmiller et al, 2005) and parental history of major depressive disorder (Yaroslavsky et al, 2013) were also predictive of higher symptom burden trajectories in adolescents. Other predictors of trajectories with high symptom burden in adolescents included lack of self-esteem (Costello et al, 2008), rumination (Mezulis, Salk, Hyde, Priess-Groben, & Simonson, 2014), loneliness, poor coping skills (Yaroslavsky et al, 2013) and early puberty (Mezulis et al, 2014). Means and odds ratios for most predictor variables followed a dose-response-like pattern, such that as the severity of the trajectory increased, so did the mean or odds ratio for that predictor variable.…”

“…Trajectories with higher depressive symptom burdens were frequently associated with subsequent psychiatric diagnoses: Stoolmiller et al (2005) and Mezulis et al (2014) found that adolescents in high depressive symptom trajectory classes were more likely to receive a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Chaiton et al (2013) looked at the effect of depressive symptom trajectories in adolescents on mental health in young adulthood and found that the rate of diagnosed mood or anxiety disorders was 3 times as high among girls and twice as high among boys who experienced a depression trajectory in adolescence characterized by high symptom burden.…”

Sleep in infancy and childhood

“…Childhood psychopathology is considered a major risk factor for psychopathology in adolescence and adulthood [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Adolescence has been defined as a vulnerable period for the onset of psychopathology, and brain and hormonal changes occurring during this period have been implicated in this growing vulnerability [23][24][25][26].…”

Latent class profiles of depressive symptoms from early to middle childhood: predictors, outcomes, and gender effects

“…gender) and general risk factors (e.g. social adversity) that predict membership in a high-risk latent class (Dekker et al, 2007; Mezulis, Salk, Hyde, Priess-Groben, & Simonson, 2013; Stoolmiller, Kim, & Capaldi, 2005). Below we review the evidence for specific predictors and outcomes of class membership focused mostly on pre-pubertal depression, including gender, social adversity, and functional outcomes later in life.…”

“…By early adolescence and continuing throughout adulthood, girls are more likely than boys to have membership in latent classes with more severe symptoms of depression (Brendgen, Wanner, Morin, & Vitaro, 2005; Costello, Swendsen, Rose, & Dierker, 2008; Mezulis et al, 2013). However, results are not as consistent during earlier childhood.…”