Childhood depression: Peer reactions to depression and life stress

Abstract

The present study investigated children's responses to a peer's childhood depression. Younger children in third and fourth grade and older children in fifth and sixth grade were exposed to one of four films. The four films portrayed a female peer who was either depressed or not depressed and who had experienced numerous recent life stresses or no recent life stress. Overall, children rated the depressed peers as less likeable and attractive, as engaging in fewer positive current and future behaviors, and as needing therapy more than a nondepressed peer. There was a tendency to rate the depressed peer with high life stress more positively than the depressed peer with low life stress; this tendency decreased with age. Girls rated all of the peers and especially the stressed peers more positively than did the boys. The results are discussed in terms of the implications of children's social interaction for the initiation or maintenance of childhood depression.

A Structural Equation Modeling Approach to the Study of Stress and Psychological Adjustment in Emerging Adults

“…In contrast, other coping behaviors (e.g., avoidance, use of alcohol) can be termed maladaptive because they do not lead to successful resolution of the stressful situation or to the long-term reduction of distress [62,63]. Specifically, coping through avoidance behaviors predicts poorer emotional outcomes in children [58], adolescents [63], and college students [45]. Given the extensive findings suggesting the importance of coping behaviors for the adjustment, coping behaviors should be another critical variable that is examined in the relationship between stress and adjustment.…”

“…For example, denial or avoidance of a stressor could have negative effects on psychological adjustment [13], as avoidant coping is related to distress [57]. Further, avoidant coping is the most prominent strategy adopted by young adolescents who suffer from depression [58]. Thus, although avoidant coping is effective in the short-term for college students, escaping from problems inevitably leads to increased depressive affect in the long-term [19].…”

Peers' Perceptions of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

“…Juvonen also concluded that ratings were generally more positive for hypothetical cases (as in the second study) than for actual classmates, which raises questions about the ecological validity of using imaginary vignettes. Peterson, Mullins, and RidleyJohnson (1985) examined childhood perceptions of the relationship between depression and stress. Groups of third to fourth graders and fifth to sixth graders viewed one of four videotape conditions featuring a 9-year-old girl displaying combinations of depressed/ nondepressed behaviors and stressful/ nonstressful causative conditions.…”

Issues in the treatment of depressed children

“…Depressed children are less popular (Jacobsen, Lahey, & Strauss, 1983;Lefkowitz & Tesiny, 1985;Strauss, Forehand, Frame, & Smith, 1984), less liked (Blechman, et aI., 1986;Faust, Baum, & Forehand, 1985;Peterson, Mullins, & Ridley-Johnson, 1985), and are rejected by peers (Kennedy, Spence, & Hensley, 1989). Perhaps this is sensed by depressed youths and accounts for findings indicating that depressed youngsters engage in less social interaction (Kazdin, Esveldt-Dawson, Sherick, & Colbus, 1985).…”

“…In addition, it may lead to withdrawal (Kazdin et al, 1985), which insulates the young-steT from corrective learning experiences. As the youngster matures and faces new stressors, he or she does not have the family or peer social support (Blechman et aI., 1986;Jacobsen et aI., 1983;Kennedy et al, 1989;Peterson et al, 1985) necessary to help buffer their impact, and the impact is further heightened througb negative distortions in information processing (Kendall et aI., 1990) and a possible deficit in coping skills. Affect interacts with the previously mentioned variables in a reciprocal fashion.…”