PREDICTING YOUTH DEPRESSION IN A 12 YEAR LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF A POPULATION SAMPLE OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Transcription

1 PREDICTING YOUTH DEPRESSION IN A 12 YEAR LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF A POPULATION SAMPLE OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS Sherry Bellamy UNBC Community Health Sciences Cindy Hardy UNBC Department of Psychology

2 OUTLINE Introduction The Present Study Methods Results Discussion Strengths and Limitations

3 INTRODUCTION World Health Organization Depression is among the leading causes of disability Projected to increase to become the second leading cause of Disability Adjusted Life years (DALYs) for both genders at all ages The present study Expand and contribute to existing research on the effects of childhood factors thought to increase risk of depression in adulthood Inform intervention efforts Address issues of timing and content across childhood and adolescence

4 THE PRESENT STUDY Longitudinal investigation of predictors of depression Data drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) conducted by Statistics Canada Selection of predictors guided by literature review of childhood risk factors and available measures in the NLSCY Heritability, parenting factors, peer relationships and child internalizing/externalizing symptoms Original cohort of children followed over 12 years

5 THE PRESENT STUDY Genetically informed design Mixed sample - Person Most Knowledgeable (PMK) Biological sample biological mother only Parent reported and child reported measures Cycle 1 Parent Report (4 to 8 yrs) Cycle 4 Child Report (10 to 14 yrs) Cycle 7 Child depression outcome (16 to 20 yrs) Hierarchical regression analyses Separate regressions for each gender Weighted analyses

6 METHODS

7 THE NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL SURVEY OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH Survey Design Began in 1994/95 Data collected every 2 years Collected information on factors thought to influence children's cognitive, emotional and physical development Sample Design Children living across Canada s 10 Provinces Non-institutional civilian population Excludes members of the armed forces, reservations and residents of remote regions (Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories)

8 MEASURES

9 DEPRESSION OUTCOME SCALE Shortened version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES- D) Measure of depressive symptoms over the past week Not designed for clinical diagnosis High reliability in in population samples Valid measure in adolescent samples

10 PREDICTOR VARIABLES Cycle 1 Predictor Variables (4 to 8 yrs) PMK Depression (12 items) Emotional Disorder (7 items) Hyperactivity/Inattention (6 items) Aggression (5 items) Positive Interaction (5 items) Hostile/Ineffective Parenting (7 items) Punitive/Aversive (4 items) Consistent Parenting (5 items) Biological Parent Status Cycle 4 Predictor Variables (10 to 14 yrs) PMK Depression (12 items) Emotional Disorder (7 items) Hyperactivity/Inattention (6 items) Aggression/CD (5 items) General Self Image (4 items) Friends (4 items) Parental Nurturance (7 items) Parental Monitoring (5 items) Parental Rejection (7 items)

11 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

12 SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS Missing data analysis Cycle 1 comparison Child age, child gender, PMK marital status, PMK depression The complete sample Slightly older Slightly more girls More PMKs with a partner No significant difference in PMK depression

13 MIXED SAMPLE Boys (n = 796) Girls (n = 919) Step 1 (R 2 = 0.11) Step 2 (R 2 = 0.14) Emotional Disorder p <.01 Step 3 (R 2 = 0.24) Emotional Disorder (C1) p <.05 General Self Image p <.05 Step 1 (R 2 = 0.04) Step 2 (R 2 = 0.08) PMK Depression p <.05 Biological Parent Status p <.01 Step 3 (R 2 = 0.15) Emotional Disorder p <.01 Aggression/CD p <.01 Emotional Disorder p <.001

14 BIOLOGICAL MOTHER-CHILD SAMPLE Boys (n = 686) Girls ( n = 797) Step 1 (R 2 = 0.12) Step 2 (R 2 = 0.14) Age p.001 Emotional Disorder p <.01 Step 3 (R 2 = 0.25) Emotional Disorder (C1) p <.01 General Self p <.05 Emotional Disorder p <.001 Parental Rejection p <.05 Step 1 (R 2 = 0.06) Step 2 (R 2 = 0.11) Maternal Depression p <.05 Biological Parent p <.01 Step 3 (R 2 = 0.21) Maternal Depression (C1) p <.05 Maternal Depression p <.01 Emotional Disorder p.01 Aggression/CD p <.05 Parental Rejection p <.05 Parental Monitoring p <.01

15 DISCUSSION For boys, depression was predicted by: Age higher depression scores in the lower age range of 16 to 20 years Higher anxiety/depression in early childhood and adolescence Lower self-esteem scores Higher parental rejection scores (biological mother and child sample)

16 DISCUSSION For girls, depression was predicted by: Higher maternal depression scores (stronger effects in biological mother and child sample) Loss of a biological parent Higher anxiety/depression scores Higher aggression/cd scores Lower parental monitoring scores (biological mother and child sample) Higher parental rejection scores (biological mother and child sample)

17 Limitations LIMITATIONS AND STRENGTHS Shortened measures used in the NLSCY Absence of certain variables in the NLSCY Depression measure limitations Limits in generalization of the findings Strengths Study design allowed for a prospective examination of predictors of depression in multiple domains Predictors examined separately by gender within a genetically informed design Large population sample of Canadian children and youth