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Abstract
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Adolescent depression and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are major public health concerns worldwide. Identifying the developmental trajectories that lead to these problems can help to design effective prevention programs. Previous research has reported 3 to 6 developmental trajectories of depressed mood and 3 to 4 developmental trajectories of NSSI. However, depressed mood and NSSI often co-occur, and little research has explored their joint developmental trajectories. Importantly, various interpersonal factors may affect the development of both depression and NSSI. For example, research has suggested that adolescents' relationships with their parents and peers plays a crucial role in developing depression and NSSI. Yet, to date, no research has examined the effect of teacher-student relationships. Therefore, the present study aimed to characterize the joint developmental trajectories of adolescents' depressed mood and NSSI, and examine the importance of peer, parent and teacher relationships in these trajectories.
A sample of 859 adolescents (56.43% males;Mage = 14.73, SD = 0.43) was followed up for three years from the first year to the third year of junior middle school, in a central western Chinese city, Xi'an. Participants reported their depressed mood and NSSI at three time points, one year apart. They also completed self-measures of friendship quality, parent relationships and teacher relationships at Time 1, and nominated their classmates' peer status at Time 1. All measures were conducted anonymously and approved by school administrators. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify the independent and joint developmental trajectories of depressed mood and NSSI, while logistic regression was used to examine the effects of relations with parents, peers and teachers.
We found 4 developmental trajectories of depressed mood and 3 developmental trajectories of NSSI. Moreover, we identified three joint developmental trajectories of adolescents' depressed mood and NSSI. The first trajectory class (91%), labeled "low depression- low NSSI- stable", included adolescents with low depression and NSSI across all timepoints. The second trajectory class (5%), labeled "moderate depression- moderate NSSI- decrease", consisted of adolescents whose depression and NSSI were moderate at baseline and then decrease over time. The third trajectory class (4%) labeled "low depression- low NSSI- increase", consisted of adolescents whose depression and NSSI were low at baseline and then increase over time. Furthermore, the level of parental psychological control differentiated adolescents in the first joint trajectory class from those in the second and third joint trajectory class. In addition, peer acceptance distinguished adolescents in the third joint trajectory class from those in the first and second joint trajectory class.
This study examined the independent and joint developmental trajectories of depressed mood and NSSI during adolescence and revealed important roles of parents and peers in these developmental processes. These findings extend our knowledge of the dynamic relationships between depression and NSSI, and the interpersonal factors that influence this. By improving adolescents' relationships with their parents and peers, school practitioners can reduce rates of depression and NSSI in this group.
Language: zh |