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In the United States, adolescent depression increased beginning in 2008–2010, coinciding with the Great Recession. We investigated whether this time of changing economic circumstances impacted adolescent depression and treatment. We analyzed data for adolescents aged 12–17 years from the 2004-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 256,572). Adolescents' past-year major depressive episodes (MDEs) were measured by self-reported symptoms. MDE treatment included seeing a health professional or receiving MDE medication. We tested how MDE and MDE treatment changed from pre-Great Recession (2004 to Fall 2007) to post-Great Recession (Winter 2007–2019) using interrupted time-series segmented regression models, accounting for seasonality and autocorrelation and testing for moderation by household poverty. The Great Recession was not associated with an immediate increase in MDE prevalence (β :-0.77 [i.e., quarter-year change in prevalence], 95% confidence interval (CI): −2.23, 0.69). However, the increase in MDE prevalence accelerated following the Great Recession (β : 0.29, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.44). The Great Recession was not associated with immediate or long-term changes in adolescent MDE treatment (immediate β : −2.87, 95% CI: −7.79, 2.04; long-term β : 0.03, 95% CI: −0.46, 0.51). Effects were similar for households by poverty status. The Great Recession was not associated with increased adolescent depression prevalence, although there was an acceleration in the trend of adolescent MDE following the recession. The prevalence of MDE treatment remained stable. Adolescent depression prevention efforts should be heightened as prevalence increases, including actively engaging caregivers as family supports to alleviate potential negative implications of economic distress for adolescent MDE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Depression quality measures aligned with evidence-based practices require that health care organizations use standardized tools for tracking and monitoring patient-reported symptoms and functioning over time. This study describes challenges and opportunities for reporting 5 HEDIS measures which use electronic clinical data to assess adolescent and perinatal depression care quality. METHODS: Two learning collaboratives were convened with 10 health plans from 5 states to support reporting of the depression measures. We conducted content analysis of notes from collaborative meetings and individual calls with health plans to identify key challenges and strategies for reporting. RESULTS: Health plans used various strategies to collect the clinical data needed to report the measures, including setting up direct data exchange with providers and data aggregators and leveraging data captured in health information exchanges and case management records. Health plans noted several challenges to reporting and performance improvement: 1) lack of access to clinical data sources where the results of patient-reported tools were documented; 2) unavailability of the results of patient-reported tools in usable data fields; 3) lack of routine depression screening and ongoing assessment occurring in provider practices. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate ongoing challenges in collecting and using patient-reported clinical data for health plan quality measurement. Systems to track and improve outcomes for individuals with depression will require significant investments and policy support at the point of care and across the healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The answer to the question to what extent depressive symptoms which occur in the middle and late adolescence period affect the quality of life in adulthood. Material and method. The sample group consisted of 308 adults out of 3,445 who had participated in a 2000 study of prevalence of depressive symptoms among students. 17 years later, letters were sent to all study participants with information about the purpose of the study and an original questionnaire, with quality of life and quality of social network scales (the Collaborative Research on Ageing in Europe Social Network Index - COURAGE-SNI and WHOQOL-AGE) attached. Results. The presence of depressive symptoms in the untreated population of adolescents is associated, in the case of women, with poorer education and fewer opportunities to work in adulthood compared to their non-depressive peers. In contrast, the men who were not depressive in adolescence take jobs in which they are more likely to earn a high income. An analysis of the quality of life showed statistically significant differences between men and women. In the group of non-depressive men, greater satisfaction with owned financial resources was observed. In the case of adult women, those who had been depressive in adolescence declared a sense of lower overall quality of life and satisfaction with the way of spending free time, satisfaction with achievement of life goals and owned financial means. Non-depressive women presented higher quality of social networks 17 years later. Conclusions. Long-term observation in our prospective study supports the hypothesis of a developmental character of adolescent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited longitudinal research investigates the effects of family stress on the development of depressive symptoms among African-American adolescents. This study tests a developmental model of the family and intrapersonal processes linking family stress to depressive symptoms from the ages of 11 to 15 years. We hypothesized that family stress would predict increases in caregiver-youth conflict, which in turn would predict decreases in adolescents' self-control, a proximal predictor of increases in depressive symptoms. The sample consisted of 472 African-American youths and their primary caregivers from eight rural counties in southern Georgia who provided data at four time points (youth of ages 11–15 years). Hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling. Results were consistent with study hypotheses. Family stress significantly predicted depressive symptoms via intermediate effects on caregiver-youth conflict and adolescent self-control. The indirect influence of family stress via these intermediate processes was significant. Findings suggest tha, when families experience stress, caregiver-youth conflict increases, which may lead to the development of poor self-control in youth, a proximal predictor of increases in depressive symptoms. Findings have implications for the development of prevention programs for rural African-American adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a critical public health problem, mainly when it affects young people (adolescents). This condition is most challenging to detect in this group because they tend to think about other people's negative assumptions. Adolescents with depressive symptoms refuse to seek professional help due to their stigma and their future if they were labeled as depressed teenagers. Depression is a severe mental issue that should be detected from an early stage so that the problem can be curbed and resolved immediately. Diagnosis should be carried out to assess mental health, followed by referral to professional help. This study aims to motivate adolescents to diagnose depression levels through gamification techniques. Fifty-three secondary students participated in a survey designed in this study to measure motivation enhancement factors. The result of this study was used to develop a depression diagnosis model. The proposed model applied a gamification design technique consisting of three main ideas: gamification elements, user types, and motivational elements. This model will serve as the foundation to develop a mobile application system that can benefit users, especially adolescents, in self-diagnosing depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing incidence of adolescent depression, suicide and evidence-based recommendations for adolescent depression screening, 70% of teens report not discussing depression with their provider. The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve the identification and management of adolescent depression by implementing a practice-based, universal depression screening. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 modified for Adolescents was implemented during annual wellness visits for adolescents aged 12–18 years over 3 months. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted to determine a change in the rates of depression screening, depression diagnoses, referrals to mental health, and pharmaceutical treatment of depression. Pre/postimplementation data were compared. Documented adolescent depression screening increased from 0% to 74.5%. Increased rates of diagnosed depression (12.1%), mental health referrals (8%), and pharmaceutical treatment of depression (4.9%) were clinically and statistically significant. Adopting evidence-based recommendations for universal depression screening in pediatric primary care can improve the early diagnosis and management of adolescent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental disorders affect 10-20 % of the young population in the world. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental disease with a multifactorial and not clearly explained pathophysiology. Many cases remain undetected and untreated, which influences patients’ physical and mental health and their quality of life also in adulthood. The aim of our pilot study was to assess the prediction value of selected potential biomarkers, including blood cell counts, blood cell ratios, and parameters like peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1), tenascin C (TNC) and type IV collagen (COL4) between depressive pediatric patients and healthy peers and to evaluate a short effect of antidepressant treatment. In this study, 27 young depressive patients and 26 non-depressed age-matched controls were included. Blood analyses and immunological assays using commercial kits were performed. Platelet count was the only blood parameter for which the case/control status was statistically significant (p=0.01) in a regression model controlling for the age and gender differences. The results from ELISA analyses showed that the case/control status is a significant predictor of the parameters PRDX1 (p=0.05) and COL4 (p=0.009) in respective regression model considering the age and gender differences between MDD patients and controls. A major finding of this study is that values of platelet count, monocyte to lymphocyte ratio, white blood cell, and monocyte counts were assessed by the Random Forest machine learning algorithm as relevant predictors for discrimination between MDD patients and healthy controls with a power of prediction AUC=0.749. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1991 to 2018, binge drinking among U.S. adolescents has precipitously declined; since 2012, depressive symptoms among U.S. adolescents have sharply increased. Binge drinking and depressive symptoms have historically been correlated, thus understanding whether there are dynamic changes in their association informs prevention and intervention. Data were drawn from the U.S. nationally representative cross-sectional Monitoring the Future surveys (1991–2018) among school-attending 12th-grade adolescents (N = 58,444). Binge drinking was measured as any occasion of more than five drinks/past 2 weeks; depressive symptoms were measured with four items (e.g., belief that life is meaningless or hopeless), dichotomized at 75th percentile. Time-varying effect modeling was conducted by sex, race/ethnicity, and parental education. In 1991, adolescents with high depressive symptoms had 1.74 times the odds of binge drinking (95% confidence interval 1.54–1.97); by 2018, the strength of association between depressive symptoms and binge drinking among 12th-grade adolescents declined 24% among girls and 25% among boys. There has been no significant relation between depressive symptoms and binge drinking among boys since 2009; among girls, the relationship has been positive throughout most of the study period, with no significant relationship from 2016 to 2017. Diverging trends between depressive symptoms and alcohol use among youth are coupled with declines in the strength of their comorbidity. This suggests that underlying drivers of recent diverging population trends are likely distinct and indicates that the nature of comorbidity between substance use and mental health may need to be reconceptualized for recent and future cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of youth in residential care may be a challenging task for most providers because comorbid problems are common and general psychosocial functioning is low. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is found to be the most effective treatment but results in only rather small improvements. Hence, there is potential to improve treatment approaches. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) could be one such approach. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness and feasibility of a brief trans diagnostic ACT group intervention for youth with comorbid problems in residential care. We also wanted to see whether increased psychological flexibility (PF) mediated potential positive outcomes, and to test the intervention under real-world conditions in residential care when delivered by less-specialized staff. With a quasi-experimental design, 69 youth (mean age 17.3 years) received Treatment-As-Usual (TAU), and 91 youth received TAU with an additional 12 h of ACT in a group setting (TAU + ACT). Follow-ups were conducted two weeks, 1 month, 6 months and 18 months after baseline. Intention-to-Treat (ITT) analyses showed statistically significant improvements 18 months after baseline, measured by the interaction of treatment and time for the primary outcomes of, anxiety [ACT * Months = −0.885 (0.445), p < 0.05, d = 0.34], depression [ACT * Months = −1.058 (0.526), p < 0.05, d = 0.39] and psychological flexibility [ACT * Months = −0.970 (0.413), p < 0.05; ACT * Months2 = 0.053 (0.023), p < 0.05; d = 0.44] in TAU + ACT youth compared to TAU alone. Regarding secondary outcomes 6 months after baseline, the TAU + ACT group showed a significant decrease in anger, disruptive behavior, and increased self-concept, with small to medium effect sizes. We also observed that psychological flexibility mediated the decrease in the primary outcome of decreased anxiety. ACT in group format may be of help in promoting various positive outcomes for youth in residential care when added to treatment as usual. Increasing PF is a promising process variable that can be targeted to increase the effectiveness of interventions for this population. • A preliminary test of a brief, transdiagnostic, ACT group intervention for youth. • The study included 160 youth in residential care. • ACT in group format was associated with various positive outcomes for youth. • Psychological flexibility mediated decreased anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary care providers (PCPs) report inadequate training in depression care. The objective of this study was to examine the long-term impact of PCP training with standardized patients on screening and diagnosis of adolescent depression in primary care. A retrospective review of electronic medical and billing records for adolescent (aged 12–18 years) well-visits assessed the frequency of screening and new diagnoses of depression. Twenty-five PCPs participated in training. The study included all adolescent well-visits in the 12 months before and after PCP training. Adolescents with a previous diagnosis of depression were excluded from the sample. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to assess associations with screening. Odds ratios were used to describe the magnitude of associations. The analysis included 7,108 well-visits for adolescents (mean age 14.5 years, standard deviation 1.7 years; gender: 52% male; race: 65% white, 13% black, 22% other races; ethnicity: 25% Hispanic; insurance: 67% commercial). Depression screening rate increased significantly after training from 51% to 80% of adolescents seen at well-visits (adjusted odds ratio 40.8, 95% confidence interval 32.6–51.0, p <.0001). Although the likelihood of being screened for depression increased post-training, there was variation based on patient's insurance. A significantly greater percentage of adolescents were newly diagnosed with depression after training (2.22% vs..89%, p <.0001). PCPs who participated in experiential training using standardized patients were more likely to screen for and diagnose adolescent depression in the 12 months after training. Future studies are needed to examine the effects of PCP training on patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. Assessment of predictive value of the occurrence of depressive symptoms during adolescence. For this purpose, the life history of untreated adolescents screened for the presence of depressive symptoms was assessed twice, at intervals of fifteen years, including an assessment of their health history, their family-related, occupational, material and social situation. The comparison of the fate of depressive adolescents with the fate of their non-depressive peers was aimed at answering the question about the influence of adolescent depression on health in adulthood. Method. In 1985, a random sample of 1,035 people -- students aged 15 and 17 -- was examined for a screening diagnosis of adolescent depression. The Krakow Depression Inventory (KID) questionnaires version for 15-year-olds ("IOB1") and for 17-year-olds ("IOC1") were used. After 15 years, data on 238 people (23%) were obtained. In 2015, responses were obtained from 101 people (9.8% of those surveyed in 1985). Results. An analysis of the results of a 30-year prospective study of the relationship between depressiveness in adolescence, in untreated adolescents, and the health and functioning in adulthood indicates that, contrary to predictions, the appearance of depression in this phase of development cannot be treated as a predictor of mental disorders later in life. Conclusions. Long-term observation in our prospective study supports the hypothesis of a developmental character of adolescent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of West Indian Medical Journal is the property of West Indian Medical Journal (WIMJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

BACKGROUND In Arab communities, the selection, utilization, and attitudes towards mental health services are substantially affected by existing mental illness stigma. However, little is known about how the stigma of depression manifests among Arab adolescents, which makes it difficult to design, implement, and disseminate effective anti-stigma interventions for this vulnerable population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine levels of depression stigma among Arab adolescents. The specific aims were to (1) describe the severity of personal and perceived depression stigma among Arab adolescents and its relationship to severity of depression, and (2) determine characteristics associated with severity of depression stigma among Arab adolescents. METHODS This study was conducted in Jordan, a Middle Eastern Arab country. A nationally representative, school-based survey was utilized. A total of 2349 Jordanian adolescents aged 12–17 completed and returned the survey packets, which included measures on individual characteristics, depression severity, and depression stigma. RESULTS The majority of the adolescents (88%) reported scores indicating moderate to high depression stigma. Adolescents reported higher rates of perceived stigma than personal stigma. Depression stigma was not significantly associated with severity of depression, but with adolescent's sex, age, region of residence, parents' education, and history of mental health problem. CONCLUSIONS This is the first Arab study to isolate the influence of adolescent depression and personal characteristics on personal and perceived depression stigmas, and highlight the presence of these distinctions early in adolescence. Such distinction can inform the design and implementation of policies and interventions to reduce both personal and perceived stigma. The study provides important recommendations on when, how, and why to utilize school settings for anti-depression stigma interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who are inadequately treated for depression often experience greater dysfunction. Problems can include conduct disorders, substance abuse, physical illness, and poor performance at school, work, or in psychosocial contexts. Depression can lead to a greater risk of suicide. Suicide is the third most common cause of death among adolescents, with more than 500,000 attempts made by children each year. Suicide is the third most frequent cause of death among young people ages 10 to 19 years old. Thus, proper treatment is important. Major depressive disorder in adolescents is often followed by frequent recurrences in adulthood. Imaging studies document underactivity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in subjects suffering from depression. Activation of the brain with high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation increases neuronal excitability and induces the growth of new connections. Though larger, randomized, controlled trials with more patients and longer follow-up are needed, the favorable side effect profile and efficacy of TMS seen so far in the literature support the use of TMS as a therapeutic intervention in children and adolescents with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier pubertal timing is associated with higher rates of depressive disorders in adolescence. Neuroimaging studies report brain structural associations with both pubertal timing and depression. However, whether brain structure mediates the relationship between pubertal timing and depression remains unclear. The current registered report examined associations between pubertal timing (indexed via perceived pubertal development), brain structure (cortical and subcortical metrics, and white matter microstructure) and depressive symptoms in a large sample (N = ∼5000) of adolescents (aged 9–13 years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We used three waves of follow-up data when the youth were aged 10–11 years, 11–12 years, and 12–13 years, respectively. We used generalised linear-mixed models (H1) and structural equation modelling (H2 & H3) to test our hypotheses. We hypothesised that earlier pubertal timing at Year 1 would be associated with increased depressive symptoms at Year 3 (H1), and that this relationship would be mediated by global (H2a-b) and regional (H3a-g) brain structural measures at Year 2. Global measures included reduced cortical volume, thickness, surface area and sulcal depth. Regional measures included reduced cortical thickness and volume in temporal and fronto-parietal areas, increased cortical volume in the ventral diencephalon, increased sulcal depth in the pars orbitalis, and reduced fractional anisotropy in the cortico-striatal tract and corpus callosum. These regions of interest were informed by our pilot analyses using baseline ABCD data when the youth were aged 9–10 years. Earlier pubertal timing was associated with increased depressive symptoms two years later. The magnitude of effect was stronger in female youth and the association remained significant when controlling for parental depression, family income, and BMI in females but not in male youth. Our hypothesised brain structural measures did not however mediate the association between earlier pubertal timing and later depressive symptoms. The present results demonstrate that youth, particularly females, who begin puberty ahead of their peers are at an increased risk for adolescent-onset depression. Future work should explore additional biological and socio-environmental factors that may affect this association so that we can identify targets for intervention to help these at-risk youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent depression is a severe mental health problem. Philippines has the highest incidence of depression in South East Asia. Depressed female adolescents habitually seek and retain negative experiences. Aim of this research was to develop and to assess effectiveness of a Taking in the Good Based-Bibliotherapy Intervention Program for female adolescents. As an innovative type of psychotherapy treatment, program aimed to build up their inner strengths by experiencing, enriching and absorbing daily events with a positive attitude and installing them in brain. Program was conducted in two phases: 1. Development of taking in the good based-bibliotherapy intervention. 2. Implementation and assessment of pioneering treatment for alleviating depression and thereby increasing positive cognitive appraisal by employing true experimental research design particularly between subjects. Beck Depression Inventory-II, Asian Adolescent Depression Scale and Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale-11 were administered before and after implementation of the program. A total of 30 female adolescents, Filipino High School students, (mean age = 13.9), were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) conditions. Data analysis was done by employing percentage and frequency distribution, mean scores, standard deviation, dependent t -test, independent t -test statistics and Cohen’s d . The null hypothesis was tested at the 0.05 level of significance. Statistical analysis between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group showed significant difference (p = 0.000) and scores of control and experimental group showed significant difference (p = 0.000) in all dependent variables in the post-test. These results revealed that “Taking in the Good based-Bibliotherapy Intervention” was effective in reducing depression in female adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: Although routine adolescent depression and suicide risk assessment (ADSRA) is recommended, primary care physician (PCP) ADSRA training is needed for successful ADSRA implementation. This study examined the effect of an intervention using standardized patients (SPs) on PCP ADSRA confidence, knowledge, and practices. Methods: The intervention consisted of a 60-minute seminar followed by a 60-minute SP session to practice ADSRA skills in simulated clinical situations. Intervention: PCPs (n = 46) completed pre- and postintervention assessments. Untrained PCPs interested in the intervention (n = 58) also completed assessments. Assessments evaluated ADSRA self-reported confidence and practices and objectively assessed knowledge. The main outcomes were (1) changes in pre-/postintervention PCP ADSRA confidence and knowledge, and (2) ADSRA practices in untrained versus postintervention PCPs. Results: Compared with untrained PCPs, PCPs 5–10 months postintervention were more likely to screen most adolescents for depression (40% vs. 22%, p = .05), to use a depression screening tool (50% vs. 19%, p = .001), to have diagnosed at least one adolescent with depression in the past 3 months (96% vs. 78%, p = .013), and to have screened depressed adolescents for suicide risk factors, including access to weapons (51% vs. 25%; p = .007) or an impulsive violence history (27% vs. 11%; p = .037). PCP confidence and knowledge about depression assessment and treatment also significantly improved postintervention. Conclusions: This study supports the use of an SP intervention to improve PCP ADSRA confidence, knowledge, and practices. Widespread implementation of similar educational efforts has the potential to dramatically improve adolescent morbidity and mortality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The first of these companion articles (Bulkeley, 2010a) described research from focus groups in Auckland and a questionnaire developed from this data about school counsellors' beliefs, knowledge, and practice regarding adolescent depression. This second article discusses training that school counsellors had previously undertaken which they believed helped them to work effectively with depressed students; their experiences of liaison with and referral to adolescent mental health services; as well as their perceived training needs in this area. Results from both the focus groups and the questionnaire are presented and discussed, together with some quotations from participants. Information from both sources was carefully considered and led to the development of a training workshop specifically designed for school counsellors and which the participants evaluated positively. This workshop covered assessment and screening for depression, and decisions about making appropriate referrals. To finish, I introduce some simple strategies for working effectively with depressed adolescents, referred to as "The Famous Five." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Broadening the concept of stress generation beyond acute life events, the current study explores predictors of the creation of stressful environments—specifically, selection into early childrearing by age 20. It was predicted that youth with early onset depressive disorders would be at higher risk for early childrearing accompanied by greater depression and parenting maladjustment. Additional analyses tested hypotheses about the roles of interpersonal vulnerability and intergenerational transmission of depression and examined gender differences. Method: A community sample of 706 adolescents and their mothers were studied at ages 15 and 20. The sample was originally selected to oversample families with depressed mothers. Results: Results confirmed the hypotheses for women but not men: Young women with depression by age 15 were at greater risk for interpersonal difficulties at age 15 and early childrearing, accompanied by further depression and parenting dysfunction at age 20. The effects of (grand)maternal depression were evident in predicting youth early onset depression and interpersonal difficulties, as well as higher rates of depression among their daughters who had children by age 20. Conclusions: The study expands the definition of stress generation to include the role of past depression and other risk factors as predictors of selection into a stressful childrearing environment. The findings also describe aspects of the intergenerational transmission of depression. The results highlight potentially important targets for interventions in young women to prevent recurrence of major depression and parenting dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psychiatria Polska is the property of Editorial Committee of Polish Psychiatric Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Adolescent depression is a significant problem in New Zealand. Although school guidance counsellors are ideally placed to identify, assess, and treat adolescents, they are rarely included in mental health research. This article discusses findings from research that used qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate school counsellors' understandings of and knowledge about adolescent depression. Data from focus groups were organised into two main categories, "Beliefs and Knowledge" and "Practice." These themes were further investigated in a nationwide questionnaire, concerning aspects such as identification, assessment, safety, referrals, ways of working, and training needs. School counsellors are generally knowledgeable about causes and different presentations of depression, but know less about assessment and referrals. Most work in an eclectic manner, with the therapeutic relationship being the basis of counselling. This study will be useful to school counsellors as well as others who work with adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciencias Psicológicas is the property of Universidad Catolica del Uruguay Damaso Antonio Larranaga and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Objectives: The first objective of this study was to empirically identify adolescent depressive symptoms trajectory among classes. The second objective was to investigate the implications of adolescent depressive symptom trajectories for their lifestyle factors in young adulthood. Methods: Data came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Addhealth). The analysis included the identification of depressive symptom trajectory groups using Latent Class Analyses. The identified trajectory groups were then compared with regard to risky lifestyle factors in young adulthood. Results: Youth in the chronically high, increasing, and decreasing depressive symptoms groups showed significantly higher prevalence rates in most risky lifestyle factors compared with the consistently low trajectory group, after controlling for lagged measures, adolescent delinquency, family characteristics, and race/ethnicity. The risky lifestyle factors included: having multiple sex partners, having been arrested/committed crime, being an excessive drinker, being a smoker, and being unmarried. Conclusions: The associations of adolescent depressive symptom trajectory groups with young adult risky lifestyle factors provide evidence for the psychosocial processes through which experiences with depressive symptoms influence young adult lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psychiatria Polska is the property of Editorial Committee of Polish Psychiatric Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this report, we conducted a secondary analysis of the Treatment of SSRI-Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) study to explore the impact of specific cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment components on outcome. In TORDIA, 334 youths (ages 12 to 18 years) with major depressive disorder who had failed to respond to an adequate course of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication were randomized to a medication switch (either to an alternative SSRI or venlafaxine) with or without 12 weeks of adjunctive CBT. Participants who had more than 9 CBT sessions were 2.5 times more likely to have adequate treatment response than those who had 9 or fewer sessions. CBT participants who received problem-solving and social skills treatment components, controlling for number of sessions and other confounding variables, were 2.3 and 2.6 times, respectively, more likely to have a positive response. These preliminary findings underscore the importance of receiving an adequate number of sessions to attain an adequate clinical response. Finally, social skills and problem solving may be active elements in CBT for adolescent depression and should be considered in treatment by those working with seriously depressed youths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is an important need for non-medication interventions for depressed youth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a standardized aerobic exercise regime to treat non-medicated clinically depressed adolescents based on adherence and completion rates, including 1) establishing effect sizes for the primary outcomes including the Chidren''s Depression Rating Scale – Revised (CDRS-R) and Actical (energy expenditure data) as well as selected secondary outcomes; (e.g., Clinical Global Improvement, depression rating scales, exercise logs, attitudes), and 2) determining whether moderate to strenuous exercise (12 kcal/kg/week [KKW]) versus a control stretching activity (<4 KKW) for 12 weeks leads to a clinically meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms and/or improved psychosocial functioning. The challenge is to develop an exercise intervention that can motivate a typically sedentary depressed adolescent to exercise on a regular basis. The goal is to demonstrate that exercise alone can provide an important and effective non-medication intervention for adolescent depression. This paper reports on the rationale and design of a pilot study which aims to inform the design of a larger trial to evaluate the efficacy of aerobic exercise to treat adolescent depression. After describing the case for exercise within the broader context of the prevalence of adolescent depression and other treatments, the paper describes the intervention and procedures for data collection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Purpose: The first objective of this study was to investigate young adult physical health implications of adolescent depressive symptom trajectories. The second objective was to investigate the social stratification of adolescent depressive symptom trajectories. Methods: Data came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The analysis included the identification of depressive symptom trajectory groups. These four groups were then compared in terms of socioeconomic characteristics and change in physical health problems, from adolescence to young adulthood. Results: Youth in the chronically high, increasing, and decreasing depressive symptoms groups showed significantly higher increases in physical health problems and poorer socioeconomic characteristics than did the consistently low group. Conclusions: The associations of adolescent depressive symptom trajectory groups with changes in physical health provide evidence for the etiological processes through which depression influences physical health. Differing socioeconomic characteristics of depressive symptom trajectory groups suggest social stratification of trajectories. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Purpose: There are significant racial/ethnic disparities in youth access to and use of appropriate depression treatment. Although there is a growing literature on racial/ethnic differences in treatment preference among adults, we know very little about whether these differences persist for adolescents and whether parents have an influence on their teens¿ treatment perspectives. Methods: Teens and parents from a sample of primary care settings were interviewed at baseline and 6 months. We used bivarate and regression analyses to describe racial/ethnic differences in teen and parent depression knowledge and treatment preference and to assess the impact of parental views on teen perspectives. Results: Latino and African American teens had lower average scores on antidepressant knowledge (p < .01) and counseling knowledge than white teens (p < .01). These racial/ethnic differences were greater among parents (p < .001). Parent antidepressant knowledge had an impact on teen knowledge when teens reported turning to them for advice (¿ = 0.20, p < .05). Teen knowledge about medication (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16, p < .01) and counseling (OR = 1.26, p < .001) were associated with a willingness to seek active treatment. Conclusions: Racial/ethnic differences in depression treatment knowledge persist, but are more pronounced for parents than teens. Talking to parents who have more knowledge about depression treatment is associated with more teen knowledge and that knowledge is associated with greater willingness to seek depression treatment. Research is needed on the content and type of conversations that parents and teens have about depression treatment, and if there are differences by race/ethnicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Previous research has documented an association between adolescent community violence exposure (CVE) and poor psychological functioning. The purpose of this study is to delineate the relations of CVE, parental mental health, and adolescent PTSD and depression. Participants consisted of 121 pairs of junior high and high school students and their parents. Adolescents completed measures to assess their history of violence exposure and current psychological functioning. Parents completed a demographic questionnaire and measures assessing their psychological functioning. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, and results indicated that, after controlling for demographic variables and family violence exposure, parental mental health emerged as a moderating variable in the relation between CVE and adolescent-rated PTSD, but not in the association between adolescent CVE and depression. Clinical implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lower family income was related to lower prefrontal activity during decision-making. • Associations were found in subgenual anterior cingulate (sACC) for expected value. • Greater adolescent depressive symptoms were related to lower sACC activation. Lower family income during childhood is related to increased rates of adolescent depression, though the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Evidence suggests that individuals with depression demonstrate hypoactivation in brain regions involved in reward learning and decision-making processes (e.g., portions of the prefrontal cortex). Separately, lower family income has been associated with neural alterations in similar regions. Motivated by this research, we examined associations between family income, depression, and brain activity during a reward learning and decision-making fMRI task in a sample of adolescents (full n = 94; usable n = 78; mean age = 15.2 years). We focused on brain activity for: 1) expected value (EV), the learned subjective value of an object, and 2) prediction error, the difference between EV and the actual outcome received. Regions of interest related to reward learning were examined in connection to childhood family income and parent-reported adolescent depressive symptoms. As hypothesized, lower activity in the subgenual anterior cingulate (sACC) for EV in response to approach stimuli was associated with lower childhood family income, as well as greater symptoms of depression measured one-year after the neuroimaging session. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that lower early family income leads to disruptions in reward and decision-making brain circuitry, contributing to adolescent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]