Neuropsychological and interpersonal antecedents of youth depression

Abstract

This research examined neuropsychological and interpersonal factors that jointly confer vulnerability to youth depression. We proposed that (1) a reduced posterior right hemisphere bias during the processing of facial expressions contributes to subsequent depressive symptoms in youth, and (2) maladaptive responses to interpersonal stress account for this association. Drawing from theory and research indicating sex differences in rates of hemispheric development, we also investigated sex differences in the associations among a reduced posterior right hemisphere bias, maladaptive responses to interpersonal stress, and depressive symptoms. Hypotheses were examined in a longitudinal study of 95 4th – 8th graders (M age = 12.33, SD = 1.10). Results supported the notion that a reduced posterior right hemisphere bias confers vulnerability to depressive symptoms over time in a sex-specific fashion, and implicate maladaptive stress responses as an explanatory mechanism.

Stress Generation and Adolescent Depression: Contribution of Interpersonal Stress Responses

“…Alternatively, responses to stress may generalize across contexts such that the repertoires assessed in this study would be reflected in similar reactions to noninterpersonal problems; these responses may therefore create dependent noninterpersonal stress. Notably, this finding is consistent with other research indicating that depressed and depression-prone individuals also generate noninterpersonal stress (Flynn et al, 2010; Rudolph et al, 2009), and suggests that promoting adaptive interpersonal stress responses also may improve responses to noninterpersonal stress.…”

“…Consistent with previous research (Connor-Smith et al, 2000; Flynn & Rudolph, 2007, 2010; Sontag, Graber, Brooks-Gunn, & Warren, 2008), to correct for these base-rate differences in the endorsement of responses to stress, proportion scores were calculated as the total score for each factor divided by the total score on the RSQ. This ipsative scaling method eliminates variance that is independent from the content of the items, thereby minimizing response bias (Chan, 2003; Cunningham, Cunningham, & Green, 1977).…”

“…Specifically, less engagement coping and more disengagement coping and involuntary responses are concurrently and prospectively associated with depressive symptoms across adolescence (Connor-Smith et al, 2000; Flynn & Rudolph, 2007, 2010; Wadsworth & Berger, 2006). In addition, self-generated interpersonal stress predicts depression in early- to mid-adolescents (Little & Garber, 2005; Rudolph, Flynn, Abaied, Groot, & Thompson, 2009) and young adults (Davila et al, 1995; Flynn, Kecmanovic, & Alloy, 2010; Hankin, Kassel, & Abela, 2005; Shih, 2006). …”

The contribution of deficits in emotional clarity to stress responses and depression

“…Sample items include, respectively, “I just have to get away, I can’t stop myself.” and “I don’t feel like myself, it’s like I’m far away from everything.” Confirmatory factor analyses have validated the factor structure of the original measure in youth samples (Connor-Smith et al, 2000; Wadsworth et al, 2004). Further, internal consistency (Connor-Smith et al, 2000; Flynn & Rudolph, 2007, 2010; Sontag et al, 2008; Wadsworth & Compas, 2002; Wadsworth, Raviv, Compas, & Connor-Smith, 2005; Wadsworth et al, 2004), stability (Connor-Smith et al, 2000), and convergent and discriminant validity (Compas et al, 2006; Connor-Smith et al, 2000; Jaser et al, 2007; Jaser et al, 2005; Wadsworth et al, 2004) have been established for the original measure across multiple samples of youth. Internal consistency, stability, and construct validity (i.e., expected associations with children’s social goals) also have been established for the revised version (Rudolph et al, 2010).…”

“…More broadly, drawing from Compas and colleagues’ (2001) conceptualization of stress responses, lower levels of engagement, active, or approach-oriented coping and higher levels of disengagement coping, involuntary engagement, and involuntary disengagement in response to interpersonal stress are associated with depressive symptoms in youth (Compas et al 2001; Connor-Smith & Compas, 2002; Connor-Smith et al, 2000; Flynn & Rudolph, 2007, 2010; Wadsworth & Berger, 2006; Wadsworth & Compas, 2002; Wadsworth, Rieckmann, Benson, & Compas, 2004; for reviews, see Clarke, 2006; Compas et al, 2001). Thus, the second goal of this study was to examine whether maladaptive interpersonal stress responses (i.e., lower levels of engagement coping and higher levels of disengagement coping and involuntary responses) serve as a mechanism linking deficits in emotional clarity to childhood depressive symptoms.…”