Citation

Ward S, Sylva J, Gresham FM. Sch. Ment. Health 2010; 2(3): 125-131.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12310-010-9028-3

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Childhood and adolescent depression is associated with negative outcomes in the school environment. Research demonstrates that childhood and adolescent depression often results in poor schoolwork, reduced academic achievement, impairments on cognitive tasks, and acting out behavior patterns. This longitudinal study sought to determine the extent to which affective, social, and academic variables collected in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades could predict depressive symptoms in 6th grade (early adolescence). A primary objective was to define conceptual sets of school-based predictor variables that would reliably predict depressive symptoms in early adolescence. Results from cross-validated discriminant function analyses indicated the best group of predictors of depression in early adolescence included teacher rated academic competence, social skills, critical events, self-reported loneliness, self-image, and self-concept. The results suggest that early school-based identifiers of depressive symptoms are found prior to early adolescence.