Citation

Garaigordobil M, Bernarás E, Jaureguizar J, Machimbarrena JM. Front. Psychol. 2017; 8: e821.

Affiliation

Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque CountrySan Sebastian, Spain.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Frontiers Research Foundation)

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00821

PMID

28572787

PMCID

PMC5435802

Abstract

The study had two goals: (1) to explore the relations between self-assessed childhood depression and other adaptive and clinical variables (2) to identify predictor variables of childhood depression. Participants were 420 students aged 7-10 years old (53.3% boys, 46.7% girls).

RESULTS revealed: (1) positive correlations between depression and clinical maladjustment, school maladjustment, emotional symptoms, internalizing and externalizing problems, problem behaviors, emotional reactivity, and childhood stress; and (2) negative correlations between depression and personal adaptation, global self-concept, social skills, and resilience (sense of competence and affiliation). Linear regression analysis including the global dimensions revealed 4 predictors of childhood depression that explained 50.6% of the variance: high clinical maladjustment, low global self-concept, high level of stress, and poor social skills. However, upon introducing the sub-dimensions, 9 predictor variables emerged that explained 56.4% of the variance: many internalizing problems, low family self-concept, high anxiety, low responsibility, low personal self-assessment, high social stress, few aggressive behaviors toward peers, many health/psychosomatic problems, and external locus of control. The discussion addresses the importance of implementing prevention programs for childhood depression at early ages.

Language: en

Keywords

child depression; correlations; predictor variables; psychosomatic problems; resilience; self-concept; social skills; stress