Demographic, Social, and Economic Factors of Internalizing Problems in Referred and Non-Referred Adolescents

Abstract

Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation are common internalizing problems during adolescence. Numerous studies have explored the role of certain demographic, social, and economic factors in their development in referred or non-referred adolescents, but not simultaneously in both groups. In this study, we examined the association between age, gender, parents’ educational level, and socioeconomic status (SES) and depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in a referred group (n = 211) and a non-referred (n = 1401) group of adolescents. We also examined the moderating role that these factors play in the relationships between both internalizing problems. The results showed: higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in the referred group; an increase in both problems during early-to-middle adolescence in the non-referred group; an association between low SES and suicidal ideation in both groups; an association between low father’s education level and depressive symptoms in the non-referred group; and no gender differences in either of these two internalizing problems. The moderation analyses showed that age, in referred adolescents, and SES, in non-referred adolescents, moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. This study contributes to the identification of groups of vulnerable adolescents that could constitute the target populations of preventive programs.

Special Issue: Demographic and Mental Health Assessments in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study: Updates and Longitudinal Trajectories

“…Intriguingly, in terms of youth report, females actually reported greater externalizing symptoms as they transitioned into puberty, a finding somewhat different than prior work. Also similar to prior research, we found that both youth and caregiver of internalizing symptoms increased with age for females, though not for males (Strohschein 2005; Van Oort et al 2009; Robbers et al 2010; Ormel et al 2012; Ferro et al 2015; Coley et al 2019; Antolin-Suarez et al 2020), with elevated rates for females emerging in adolescence (Bongers et al 2003; Brown et al 2007; Robbers et al 2010; Faravelli et al 2013). These data add to those in the literature suggesting that the majority of patterns of age and sex-related differences in externalizing and internalizing have maintained over secular changes in society and across a number of different cultures, though with some variation across youth and caregiver report.…”

“…There have been several previous studies using epidemiological or non-treatment seeking samples that have reported data on longitudinal trajectories of mental health, as well as the relationship of various demographic factors relevant to understanding mental health among youth. In terms of age-related differences in mental health, there is consistent evidence from studies in both the United States, Canada and Europe that levels of depression tend to increase from school age into adolescence (Strohschein 2005;Van Oort et al 2009;Robbers et al 2010;Ormel et al 2012;Ferro et al 2015;Coley et al 2019;Antolin-Suarez et al 2020), with evidence that this increase is greater in females than males (Bongers et al 2003). Patterns for anxiety are more mixed, with some evidence for decreases in various forms of anxiety from school age to adolescence (Van Oort et al 2009;Ormel et al 2012).In general, the data suggest that aggressive, attentional and rule-breaking problems tend to decrease from middle childhood to adolescence (Bongers et al 2003;Strohschein 2005;Fanti and Henrich 2010;Robbers et al 2010), but with some exceptions (Keiley et al 2000;Ormel et al 2012).…”

“…Apropos the concerns about contextual factors often confounded with race and ethnicity, the evidence in regards to the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health in children and adolescents is robust, with youth living in lower SES households showing consistently higher rates of depression, anxiety, and externalizing symptoms in both the United States and Europe (Goodman et al 2003; Strohschein 2005; Amone-P’Olak et al 2009; Robbers et al 2010; Letourneau et al 2011; van Oort et al 2011; Reiss 2013; Coley et al 2019; Antolin-Suarez et al 2020). However, what is less clear is whether different facets of SES relate differentially to youth mental health, such as family income, caregiver education, indices of financial insecurity or neighborhood SES (Denny et al 2016; Coley et al 2019).…”

Editors’ Comments on the Special Issue “Social Determinants of Mental Health”

“…Suicide among adolescents was addressed by two articles. The first article designed a cross-sectional study to analyse the association between demographic and socioeconomic factors and depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in referred and non-referred adolescents [ 16 ]. Referred adolescents showed higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation than non-referred adolescents.…”

Demographic and mental health assessments in the adolescent brain and cognitive development study: Updates and age-related trajectories

“…There have been several previous studies using epidemiological or non-treatment seeking samples that have reported data on longitudinal trajectories of mental health, as well as the relationship of various demographic factors relevant to understanding mental health among youth. In terms of age-related differences in mental health, there is consistent evidence from studies in both the United States, Canada and Europe that levels of depression tend to increase from school age into adolescence ( Strohschein, 2005 , Van Oort and Greaves-Lord, 2009 , Robbers and Bartels, 2010 , Ormel and Oldehinkel, 2012 , Ferro and Gorter, 2015 , Coley and O'Brien, 2019 , Antolin-Suarez and Nieto-Casado, 2020 ), with evidence that this increase is greater in females than males ( Bongers et al, 2003 ). Patterns for anxiety are more mixed, with some evidence for decreases in various forms of anxiety from school age to adolescence ( Van Oort and Greaves-Lord, 2009 , Ormel and Oldehinkel, 2012 ).…”