Longitudinal associations between depression symptoms and peer experiences: Evidence of symptoms-driven pathways

Reciprocal relationships between depressive symptoms and peer attachment in Chinese adolescents: The influence of early parental harsh discipline

BACKGROUND

Despite high social acceptance and prevalence of harsh discipline in China, its long-term cascading effects on adolescent emotional/interpersonal challenges remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined whether peer attachment and depressive symptoms would be reciprocally related over time and how early harsh discipline influences these dynamics.

PARTICIPANT AND SETTING

Data was drawn from a longitudinal study over a 9-year period. Parental harsh discipline was reported by both parents at Grade 1-3 (N = 403), and depressive symptoms and peer attachment were reported by adolescents at Grade 7-9 (N = 651).

METHODS

The random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to assess the reciprocal association between adolescents' depressive symptoms and peer attachment. Furthermore, the predictive effects of early parental harsh discipline were examined.

RESULTS

There was a significant association between adolescents' depressive symptoms and peer attachment at between-person level, and these two constructs were also predicted each other at within-person level expected for the path from peer attachment at Grade 7 to depressive symptoms at Grade 8. Paternal but not maternal early harsh discipline from Grade 1 to Grade 3 could drive the dynamic within-person relations between adolescents' depressive symptoms and peer attachment.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings reveal the antecedent or concurrent factors and their processes that account for early adolescents' depressive symptoms. Intervention targeted at reducing early parental harsh discipline and improving peer relationship quality may be beneficial for alleviating adolescents' depressive symptoms.

Emotion-driven or relationship-driven? Longitudinal associations between insecure parent-child attachment, perceived family support and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents

Insecure parent-child attachment is often observed in adolescents with depressive symptoms. However, the directionality of the association between insecure parent-child attachment and depressive symptoms, as well as the potential mechanisms of family support, is not clearly understood. This study investigated the reciprocal longitudinal associations between insecure parent-child attachment (i.e. attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety), perceived family support, and depressive symptoms. A total of 1535 Chinese adolescents (52.6% being boys; baseline Mage = 13.19 years, SD = 0.51) participated in a four-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models were employed to disentangle the between- and within-family effects. The results indicated that there was a vicious cycle in which attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms reinforced each other. Furthermore, an increase in depressive symptoms significantly predicted a decrease in perceived family support over time, subsequently leading to higher levels of both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety. These findings suggest the coexistence of emotion-driven processes (from depressive symptoms to attachment avoidance) and relationship-driven processes (from attachment avoidance to depressive symptoms). Additionally, psychotherapists and family therapists are advised to enhance adolescents' perceived family support to nip depressive symptoms in the bud, therefore preventing subsequent insecure parent-child attachments.

A network approach to understanding bullying victimization and its co-occurrence with depressive symptoms among Chinese students in different developmental periods

BACKGROUND

Bullying victimization and its co-occurrence with depressive symptoms have previously been explored. However, the pattern of bullying victimization development and the detailed associations between victimization and depressive symptoms remain unknown.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore bullying victimization and its comorbidity with depressive symptoms across different developmental periods via network analysis.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data from the National Children's Study of China (NCSC) were analysed, including a nationally representative sample (N = 23,917, 46.6 % girls, grades 4 to 9) covering 31 provinces in China.

METHODS

Network analysis was applied to identify core nodes and edges of bullying victimization as well as bridge nodes and bridge edges connecting the victimization community and the depressive symptom community across late childhood, early adolescence, and middle adolescence. The network of bullying victimization and the bridge network of victimization and depressive symptoms in these three periods were compared.

RESULTS

The results revealed the following developmental inconsistencies: 1) "being spoken ill of", "being hit, kicked, pushed, or shoved", and "being threatened or intimidated" were the core nodes of victimization in late childhood, early adolescence, and middle adolescence, respectively, and 2) "being hit, kicked, pushed, or shoved" was more likely to co-occur with "being spoken ill of" in late childhood and early adolescence than in middle adolescence. The analysis also revealed the following consistencies: 1) the consistent bridge nodes were "being spoken ill of" for bullying victimization and "lack of friendship" for depressive symptoms, and 2) the consistent bridge edges were the connections between "being spoken ill of"/"being excluded" and "loneliness"/"lack of friendship".

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlighted the stable critical connection between relational victimization and loneliness/the absence of friendships across the three developmental stages, which might be the basis for the co-occurrence of bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. Joint efforts should focus on identifying and addressing bullying (especially relational bullying) to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms for victims.

Associations Between Peer Relationships and Depressive Symptoms in Rural Children: Undirected and Bayesian Network Analyses

Previous studies have noted links between peer relationships and depressive symptoms, but few have explored the subtle internal connections and inherent directionalities of these associations. Undirected and Bayesian network analyses were utilized to explore the interrelationships among key constructs in this study, which focused on 802 Chinese rural children (Mage= 12.16 years, SD = 0.83, 46.13% boys). Undirected network analysis revealed that Self-hatred, Sadness, and Loneliness were central nodes within the networks of peer relationships and depressive symptoms. Mutual support, Friendship skills, and Popularity emerged as key nodes linking peer relationships with the network of depressive symptoms. Bayesian network analysis demonstrated that Sadness and Popularity act as triggering nodes within the network, which are ultimately leading to depressive symptoms such as Pessimism, School difficulty, Indecisiveness, and Feeling unloved. These findings provide supports for the development of targeted interventions to reduce depressive symptoms in rural children, with a focus on different aspects of peer relationship.

Developmental interactions between peer victimization and depressive symptoms in adolescents: A latent change score analysis

Peer victimization and depressive symptoms are highly relevant risks during adolescence. Understanding the dynamic patterns of interactions between peer victimization and depressive symptoms as well as gender differences in these variables can improve intervention strategies for adolescents navigating this critical transition period. In the present study, a large sample of Chinese adolescents reported peer victimization and depressive symptoms in four survey waves at six-month intervals. A total of 2534 adolescents (51.9% boys, M = 12.98 ± 0.60 years) were included in the latent change score (LCS) analysis. The results supported the reciprocal effects model obtained in the full sample. Changes in peer victimization were influenced by prior changes in depressive symptoms over time, and changes in depressive symptoms were influenced by prior levels of peer victimization. There were also gender differences, with boys exhibiting depressive symptom-driven effects on peer victimization, while girls exhibiting peer victimization-induced depressive symptoms. The dynamic relationships between peer victimization and depressive symptoms that promote and constrain each other in adolescents are elucidated in this study. Differentiating effects on boys and girls is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of practical interventions.

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Peer Dynamics: Distorted Perceptions in Liking and Disliking Networks

Depression in adolescents has been linked to poor life outcomes, including suicidal ideation, peer victimization, and fewer friendships. Less is known about how depressed adolescents perceive their peer interactions. Based on the depression-distortion model, we expected that adolescents with depressive symptoms misperceive their social ties by being less likely to like some peers, and more likely to dislike other peers. An Italian dataset about adolescent relationships was used, including 275 first-year secondary school students (M age = 11.80, 46% female) in 12 classrooms across nine schools. Adolescents were asked to nominate classmates they liked and disliked. Longitudinal social network analyses (stochastic actor-oriented models) were conducted, including structural network effects (reciprocity, transitivity, indegree-popularity) and covariates such as gender, immigrant origin, and highest parents' education level. The results indicated that adolescents with depressive symptoms were less likely to send liking nominations, and conversely, they were more likely to send disliking nominations than non-depressed classmates. Interestingly, adolescents with depressive symptoms were not more disliked or less liked by their peers. These findings seem to support the depression-distortion model by suggesting that, compared to non-depressed peers, adolescents with depressive symptoms misperceive their relationships by overstating negative relationships and underestimating positive ones.

Adolescent depressive symptoms and memory performance in young adulthood: Testing critical period, accumulation, and pathway models using a sibling comparison design

RATIONALE

Despite the existing literature connecting depressive symptoms with cognitive function in adulthood, there is limited knowledge about the longitudinal association between depressive symptoms in adolescence and memory function in adulthood, as well as the mechanisms underlying this relationship.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to determine whether depressive symptoms in adolescence are associated with memory function in young adulthood. To explore the underlying mechanisms of this association, it employs a life course approach, testing the critical period, accumulation, and pathway models.

METHODS

Utilizing data from the sibling sample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this study employed sibling fixed effects models to control for unobserved heterogeneity at the family level. To test various life course models, the analysis incorporated adult depressive symptoms, as well as an array of behavioral, psychosocial, and educational mechanism variables.

RESULTS

Sibling fixed effects estimates indicated a longitudinal association between depressive symptoms in adolescence and memory function in young adulthood (b = -0.084, p < 0.01). Depressive symptoms in adulthood neither explained nor intensified this association. Mediation analysis revealed that educational attainment modestly accounted for about 11% of the relationship between adolescent depressive symptoms and adult memory function. Combined, these findings lend support to the life course approach, with a specific focus on the critical period model.

CONCLUSIONS

This study's findings suggest that depressive symptoms in adolescence are an independent risk factor for memory function in adulthood. The empirical support for the critical period model underscores the importance of implementing early intervention programs and targeted strategies to support adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms.

Depression symptoms, communication and cooperation skills, and friendship: longitudinal associations in young Norwegian children

Introduction

Symptoms of depression in early childhood have been linked to interpersonal difficulties, whereas friendships serve a protective function.

Methods

In the present study, we examined depression symptoms in preschool age (4 years) in relation to social skills (communication and cooperation), and friendships into early school age (Grades 1 and 2) in a large subsample (n = 943) of Norwegian children.

Results

The results indicated that preschool depression symptoms negatively predicted Grade 1 communication skills, which in turn predicted Grade 2 depression symptoms. This pathway suggests that communication skills may be a maintenance factor for depression symptoms in young children. In addition, preschool depression symptoms predicted lower Grade 1 cooperation skills, which in turn predicted lower Grade 2 communication skills, suggesting that preschool depression symptoms may begin a cascade of social skill problems that affect cooperation and communication skills into early school years. Best friendships were negatively related to depression symptoms in preschool and Grade 2.

Discussion

Given that preschool depression symptoms impact the development of social skills and friendships, it is important to attend to depression symptoms in early childhood.

Relational peer victimization and depression symptoms in young adults: longitudinal evidence from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

Some targets of relational peer victimization become depressed because of their poor treatment. These associations are well documented in youth but are rarely studied in adults.

Methods

The longitudinal pathways between relational peer victimization (being excluded, stonewalled, etc.) and symptoms of depression were examined in a sample of 392 young adults from Ontario, Canada using annual assessments from age 19 to 24. The role of the COVID-19 pandemic was also examined.

Results

Latent curve models with structured residuals indicated that individuals who reported greater relational peer victimization than others also reported more symptoms of depression (between-person association) and those who were more relationally victimized than their expected level were more depressed than expected (within-person association). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the within-time association between relational peer victimization and depression symptoms was reduced. Specifically, accounting for between-person effects and prior individual differences, we found a predicted decoupling of relational peer victimization and depression symptoms in the first year of the pandemic when social non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were heavily implemented in Ontario, but not the second year, when NPIs were relaxed (but not abandoned).

Discussion

Our findings indicate that the social NPIs implemented in the initial year of the pandemic may have inadvertently led to a positive impact on the association between relational peer victimization and depression symptoms. This finding underscores the importance of minimizing interactions with abusive peers whenever feasible as a strategy to enhance mental well-being.

Bullying victimization and mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

Bullying victimization is associated with numerous mental health difficulties yet studies from early in the COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant decreases in bullying victimization but significant increases in mental health difficulties for many children and adolescents. It is unclear whether the decrease in bullying victimization early in the pandemic translated to weaker associations between bullying victimization and mental health difficulties.

Methods

Using a population-based design, we examined whether the correlations between bullying victimization and mental health difficulties were significantly weaker in magnitude during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before the pandemic in a sample of 6,578 Canadian students in grades 4-12. Students were randomly assigned to report on their bullying and mental health experiences either during the school year before the pandemic or the school year during the pandemic. Only students who reported experiences of victimization were included in the present study as questions on mental health were specifically on difficulties experienced due to victimization.

Results

As expected, overall bullying victimization and mental health difficulties were significantly correlated before and during the pandemic, but correlations were significantly weaker in magnitude during the pandemic for girls and secondary students. Significant decreases in correlation magnitude were also found predominately for general, verbal, and social forms of bullying victimization, but not for physical and cyber victimization. Among students who reported victimization, we also found significantly lower means for mental health difficulties and most forms of bullying victimization during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic.

Discussion

Findings indicate a strong coupling of bullying victimization and mental health difficulties, particularly before the pandemic, and the need to reduce these associations to improve the well-being of children and adolescents.

A Developmental Cascade Analysis of Peer Rejection, Depression, Anxiety, and Externalizing Problems from Childhood through Young Adulthood

The need to belong with peers is an essential component of development, and when individuals face peer rejection they often experience a host of negative outcomes, including internalizing and externalizing problems. There exists conflicting evidence whether peer rejection precedes, succeeds, or reciprocally influences psychopathology. This study used two longitudinal community samples recruited from Portuguese schools with data from middle childhood through early adulthood. The obtained data measured mean levels and assessed stability of peer rejection, and peer rejection's association with demographic and psychopathology variables concurrently across development. Analyses fit developmental cascade models of peer rejection, depression, anxiety, and externalizing problems. Mean peer rejection levels remained relatively stable over time, and peer rejection scores were mildly to moderately correlated at measurement points closer together but attenuated at timepoints that were further apart in time. At some timepoints, age, and parental SES and education were associated with peer rejection. Peer rejection was associated with depression, anxiety, and externalizing problems concurrently at each time point (r = ~0.3-0.5). Developmental cascade models supported depression and anxiety temporally preceding peer rejection and some reciprocal relationships between depression and peer rejection. Anxiety was a robust temporal precedent of psychopathology and peer rejection.

The relationship between parent-child relationship and peer victimization: a multiple mediation model through peer relationship and depression

Introduction

Peer victimization is a highly prevalent worldwide issue with cross-cultural characteristics. Parent-child relationship and peer victimization is known to be interrelated, but how they influence each other remains unclear. This study explored the mechanisms of peer victimization related to parent-child relationship.

Methods

A total of 58,756 fourth grade students aged 10-12 years (10.83 ± 0.83, 54.4% males) from China completed four questionnaires. A multiple mediator model was tested, in which the two variables influenced each other through the mediating factors of peer relationship and depression.

Results

Peer victimization was indirectly negatively impacted by parent-child relationship through two chain mediating factors of peer relationship and depression: (1) the mediational path through peer relationship with an effect size of 44.66%; (2) the mediational path through depression with an effect size of 21.64%; and (3) the mediational path through peer relationship and depression with an effect size of 18.08%. The total mediational effect size was 84.11%.

Conclusion

The effect size through peer relationship is the strongest among the three mediation paths, suggesting that peer relationship is the key determinant in breaking the link between parent-child relationship and victimization. Poor parent-child and peer relationships may be risk factors eliciting peer victimization. Compared to internalizing behaviors (e.g., depression), low-quality interpersonal relationships maybe the root cause of the formation and maintenance of victimization. Thus, intervention programs against bullying should pay more attention on children's contextual factors, especially their relationships with their families and peers, among children at an early age.

Developmental pathways of depressive symptoms via parenting, self-evaluation and peer relationships in young people from 3 to 17 years old: evidence from ALSPAC

PURPOSE

Self-evaluation and interpersonal factors are theoretically and empirically linked to depression in young people. An improved understanding of the multifactorial developmental pathways that explain how these factors predict depression could inform intervention strategies.

METHODS

Using structural equation modeling, this study explored whether self-evaluation and interpersonal factors were associated with adolescent depressive symptoms in a population-based sample (n = 11,921; Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, ALSPAC), across four development stages: early and late childhood plus early and middle adolescence from 3 to 17 years old.

RESULTS

Early good parenting practices predicted self-esteem, fewer peer difficulties, good friendships and fewer depressive symptoms in late childhood development outcomes. Higher self-esteem and less negative self-concept mediated the effect of early good parenting practice on reduced depressive symptoms in middle adolescence. The hypothesized erosion pathway from depressive symptoms in late childhood via higher levels of negative self-concept in early adolescence to depressive symptoms in middle adolescence was also confirmed. Additionally, peer difficulties played a mediation role in developing depressive symptoms. Contrary to the hypothesis, poor friendships predicted fewer depressive symptoms. The analysis supported a developmental pathway in which good parenting practices in early childhood led to fewer peer difficulties in late childhood and to less negative self-concept in early adolescence, which in turn predicted fewer depressive symptoms in middle adolescence.

CONCLUSION

The social-developmental origin of youth depressive symptoms was supported via the effect of peer relationships in late childhood on self-evaluation in early adolescence.

Reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms and the mediating role of resilience across two years: Three-wave cross-lagged panel model

BACKGROUND

Depression among children has been a growing public health concern. It is generally recognized that individuals with depression are likely to have interpersonal malfunctioning. However, there remains a limited scientific understanding of the reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms among rural Chinese children in a longitudinal approach.

METHODS

Therefore, guided by the interpersonal model of depression and the developmental cascade model, the present study conducted a cross-lagged panel analysis study to explore the bidirectional relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms across three waves among 2188 elementary school students in rural areas of one county of Gansu Province, China. We also examined the mediating effect of resilience and sex differences of the models.

RESULTS

Our results showed that depressive symptoms negatively predicted interpersonal communication from T1 to T2 and T2 to T3. Interpersonal communication negatively predicted depressive symptoms from T1 to T2, but not T2 to T3. Furthermore, resilience showed significant partial mediating effects in the reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms. In terms of sex differences, the significant relationship between depressive symptoms at T1 and interpersonal communication at T2 was found to be significant among male students and marginally significant among female students. The full mediating effect of resilience at T1 was found only among male students, whereas resilience at T2 functioned as a full mediator between depressive symptoms at T2 and interpersonal communication at T3 only among female students.

LIMITATIONS

First, the present sample consisted of only third and fourth grade (i.e., in T1) students from one county in rural China. Second, the present study examined depressive symptoms instead of depression as a clinical diagnosis. Third, the third wave of the data was collected during COVID-19. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could unexpectedly pose on child mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The finding underlined the importance of providing comprehensive depression prevention and intervention from fostering children's inner resilience and promoting their ability to navigate interpersonal resources.

Transactional Relations Between Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Youth at Risk of Developing Depression: Evidence for Gender Differences

Offspring of mothers with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) are at high risk of developing the disorder themselves, yet specific mechanisms of risk remain unclear. One hypothesized mechanism is interpersonal stress, which has been shown to be elevated in offspring of mothers with a history of MDD. The goal of this study was to examine the role of a specific form of interpersonal stress, peer victimization (overt and relational). In doing so, we not only examined the impact of peer victimization on changes in youth depression, but also youth depression on changes in peer victimization, consistent with stress generation models. Participants were 251 mothers with (n = 129) or without (n = 122) a history of MDD and their child (aged 8-14 years at baseline) who were assessed every six months for two years. Using random intercepts cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM), we were able to separate between-subject effects (mother MDD group differences in average levels of peer victimization and offspring depressive symptoms) and within-subject effects (transactional influences between within-subject fluctuations in peer victimization and depressive symptoms among offspring over time). Overall, these effects were stronger for relational victimization than for overt victimization and stronger for girls than boys. These results support the role of peer victimization, particularly relational victimization, as a risk factor among offspring of mothers with MDD, particularly girls, and highlight transactional relations between relational victimization and depressive symptoms in girls over time, which may create a vicious cycle of risk.

Longitudinal associations between academic achievement and depressive symptoms in adolescence: Methodological considerations and analytical approaches for identifying temporal priority

Failure to meet educational expectations in adolescence can derail an individual's potential, leading to hardship in adulthood. Lower academic achievement is also associated with poorer mental health, and both share common pathways to adult functional outcomes like employment status and economic security. Although linked in adolescence, and predictive of similar outcomes in adulthood, methodological and analytical limitations of the literature do not permit the assessment of the temporal priority between academic achievement and mental health. This omission of directionality hampers intervention and prevention efforts. In this narrative review, we summarize the literature on the temporal ordering between academic achievement and depressive symptoms in adolescence, a particularly vulnerable developmental period. We propose methodological and analytical strategies to guide future research to disentangle the chronological ordering between academic achievement and depressive symptoms-recommendations that can be used to examine other sets of correlated variables over time. Specifically, we highlight methodological issues that require attention such as the need to understand reciprocal and cascading influences over time by attending to repeated measures and timing, measurement consistency, reporter effects, examination of processes and mechanisms, and missing data. Finally, we discuss the need to embrace analytical methods that separate within-person from between-person effects; account for heterogeneity in associations using person-centered approaches; and use the two approaches as complementary, rather than competing, for a more holistic examination of temporality.

Emotional Responses to Social Media Experiences Among Adolescents: Longitudinal Associations with Depressive Symptoms

OBJECTIVE

The degree to which adolescent social media use is associated with depressive symptoms has been the source of considerable debate. Prior studies have been limited by a reliance on cross-sectional data and measures of overall "screen time." This study examines prospective associations between adolescents' emotional responses to social media experiences and depressive symptoms, and examines gender differences in these processes.

METHOD

A school-based sample of 687 adolescents (48.6% girls; Mage = 14.3; 38.1% White, 29.4% Hispanic, 23.0% Black) completed measures of positive and negative emotional responses to social media experiences and depressive symptoms at two time points, one year apart.

RESULTS

Higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with more frequent negative emotional responses to social media experiences one year later, whereas greater positive emotional responses to social media were associated with later depressive symptoms. Girls reported overall greater emotional responses to social media experiences, but gender did not moderate associations between these emotional responses and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight the importance of examining adolescents' positive and negative emotional experiences in the context of social media use, and the ways in which these experiences intersect with depressive symptoms, so as to identify youth who may be most vulnerable to negative effects of social media use.

Peer Relationships and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: Results From the German BELLA Study

Background: Poor mental health affects adolescent development and is associated with health and social outcomes in later life. The current study uses cross-sectional data to explore the understudied aspects of peer relationships as a predictor of depressive symptom severity of adolescents in Germany. Method: Data from the German BELLA study were analyzed. We focused on the most recent measurement point of the BELLA study and analyzed data of 446 adolescents (aged 14-17 years). Peer relationship was measured using four items from the internationally established Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Depressive symptoms were assessed via seven items of the German version of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D). Hierarchical linear regression models were computed to explore the association between depressive symptoms and peer relationships. Hierarchical linear regression models served to determine the added predictive effects of each aspect of peer relationships. Result: The regression model showed that 22% of the variance of the severity of depressive symptoms could be explained by the quality of adolescents' peer relationships (F(1,444) = 125.65, p < 0.001). Peer acceptance has the most substantial unique contribution to peer relationship as a predictor of depressive symptom severity (Change in R 2 = 0.05; Change in F = 27.01, p < 0.001). The gender-specific analysis shows different trends for boys and girls. Conclusion: The quality of peer relationships is a significant predictor of adolescents' depressive symptoms severity. Improved peer acceptance, dependability, and ease of making new friends are significantly associated with reduced depression symptoms for Germany's adolescent population.

Depression Symptoms, Mattering, and Anti-mattering: Longitudinal Associations in Young Adulthood

We examined the dynamic interplay of depression symptoms, mattering (i.e., self-evaluation of importance or significance to others), and anti-mattering across four years of development in young adulthood (age 20–23; N = 452) using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM). Support for a transactional model between anti-mattering and depression symptoms was found. Specifically, anti-mattering positively predicted later depression symptoms and depression symptoms consistently predicted later anti-mattering. Depression symptoms also shared a negative association with later mattering but not the reverse, supporting a symptoms-driven model of depression symptoms and mattering. Auto-regressive paths, residual covariances, and cross-lagged paths were invariant over time. Accounting for gender, household income, parental education, and fear of COVID-19 as covariates did not change the results. The stability of mattering and anti-mattering suggest careful consideration of how to effectively change these patterns. The implications for assessment and intervention on mattering or anti-mattering in the prevention and treatment of depression are discussed.

Bivariate latent change score analysis of peer relations from early childhood to adolescence: Leading or lagging indicators of psychopathology

Understanding longitudinal associations between problematic peer relations and psychopathology are needed to inform public health. Three models have been proposed: poor peer relations i) lead or are a risk factor for psychopathology; ii) lag or are a consequence of psychopathology; iii) both lead and lag psychopathology. Another model is that poor peer relations lead or lag psychopathology depending upon the developmental period. To test these models, youth's peer relations and clinical symptoms were assessed up to 6 times between ages 3-11 in 306 children. Bivariate latent change score models tested leading/lagging longitudinal relationships between children's peer relations (peer victimization/rejection, peer-directed aggression, social withdrawal, prosocial behavior) and psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and externalizing symptoms). Peer victimization/rejection was a leading indicator of depression from early childhood into preadolescence. Peer-directed aggression was a leading indicator of externalizing symptoms (in late childhood).

Longitudinal Relationships among Cybervictimization, Peer pressure, and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms

BACKGROUND

Most studies have used cross-sectional designs, very few of which have examined the bidirectional relationship between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms. This study examined bidirectional relationships among adolescents' cybervictimization, peer pressure, and depressive symptoms, and the mediating effect of peer pressure. As a further expansion of the present study, we examined whether these relationships would vary as the roles of gender and economic stress.

METHODS

Participants were 2,407 adolescents (M_age = 12.75, SD = 0.58; n_male = 1191). They provided data in two waves (12 months apart).

RESULTS

Results showed that there were significant bidirectional relationships between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms and peer pressure. Peer pressure significantly mediated the relationship between cybervictimization at Time 1 and depressive symptoms at Time2. For males, the relationship between cybervictimization at Time 1 and depressive symptoms at Time2 became stronger. For females, there was no significant bidirectional relationship between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms. In addition, family socioeconomic status and adolescents perceived economic stress did not moderate the longitudinal relationships among cybervictimization, peer pressure, and depressive symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

Different types of victimization needed to be included. In addition, more waves data served to explore the mediating effects.

CONCLUSIONS

The increase of cybervictimization predicts higher levels of adolescents' depressive symptoms, but only for males and not for females. Peer pressure mediates the relationship between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms.

Reciprocal longitudinal relations between peer victimization and mobile phone addiction: The explanatory mechanism of adolescent depression

INTRODUCTION

Being victimized by peers has been shown to be associated with a range of adolescent problems, including mobile phone addiction (MPA). Although being victimized is assumed to lead to problem behavior, the reverse could also occur. In this longitudinal study we tested the reciprocal effects of victimization and MPA, taking into account the role of adolescent depression in these effects.

METHODS

The sample included 1987 adolescents from middle schools in Guangdong and Shandong Provinces, China (56.10% male; M_age at Wave 1 = 12.32). Three waves of questionnaire data were collected at half-year intervals during the transition from 7th to 8th grade. Cross-lagged models were adopted for data analysis.

RESULTS

Peer victimization at W1/W2 predicted MPA at W2/W3, and the inverse relation was also significant: MPA at W1/W2 positively predicted peer victimization at W2/W3. Furthermore, the bidirectional association between peer victimization and MPA was mediated by adolescent depression.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first longitudinal study on the relation between MPA and associated problems. Victimization by peers and MPA appear to have mutual influences over time that are explained in part by adolescent depression. The results have potential applied value for promoting adolescent adjustment.

Affiliation with depressive peer groups and social and school adjustment in Chinese adolescents

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of depressive peer group context in individual social and school adjustment in a sample of 1,430 Chinese adolescents (672 boys, mean age = 15.43 years) from middle (n = 430) and high (n = 1000) schools. Peer groups were identified using the Social Cognitive Map technique. One-year longitudinal data on depression and social and school adjustment were obtained from self-reports, peer nominations, teacher ratings, and school records. Multilevel analyses showed that group-level depression positively predicted later individual depression. Moreover, group-level depression negatively predicted later social competence, peer preference, school competence, and academic achievement, and it positively predicted later peer victimization and learning problems. The results suggest that affiliation with more depressive peer groups contributes to more psychological, social, and school adjustment problems in a cascading manner among Chinese adolescents.

The Temporal Precedence of Peer Rejection, Rejection Sensitivity, Depression, and Aggression Across Adolescence

We examined the temporal precedence between perceived peer rejection, rejection sensitivity, depression, and aggression in a sample of 544 adolescents (55.7% girls; M_age = 14.96 years at the first measured time point) assessed yearly from Grade 9 to Grade 12. Using developmental cascade modelling to analyze the data, our study supported the symptoms-driven and social process models, in that perceived rejection was preceded by either depression or aggression at different times across adolescence. Similarly, rejection sensitivity was also preceded by depression and/or aggression. Although depression initiated the cascade leading to rejection sensitivity, our model also supported a bidirectional relation across late adolescence as rejection sensitivity also predicted future depression. Overall, our findings provide support that internalizing and externalizing problems lead to interpersonal difficulties with peers, such as perceived rejection and demonstrate the unique role of rejection sensitivity with regard to depression and aggression independent from perceived peer rejection.

Behaviors of ADHD and Peer Relationship Difficulties in Chinese and American Youths: Role of Co-Occurring Behaviors of Depression and Anxiety

The co-occurrence of behaviors of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with behaviors of anxiety or behaviors of depression is the norm, but little is known on how the co-occurrence accounted for youths' peer relations. The authors report results on difficult peer relations in relation to behaviors of ADHD, co-occurring behaviors of depression, and behaviors of anxiety from three studies on 862 youths in China and in the United States. Study 1 included 313 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse American youths; Study 2 included 250 youths who were adopted out of Chinese orphanages by American parents; and Study 3 included 299 youths from Beijing, China. Data on difficult peer relations and behaviors of ADHD, depression, and anxiety were collected with the third edition of Behavior Assessment System for Children-Self Report of Personality. In all three studies, each type of problems alone significantly predicted difficult peer relations, but behaviors of ADHD were not significant when co-occurring behaviors of depression or co-occurring behaviors of anxiety were considered. Despite that the youths in our study had different cultural and personal backgrounds, there was no evidence that behaviors of ADHD were detrimental to youths' peer relations when behaviors of depression or anxiety were considered. Implications for intervention were discussed.

Developmental changes in associations between depressive symptoms and peer relationships: a four-year follow-up of Chinese adolescents

Interpersonal theories have suggested that depressive symptoms influence and are influenced by peer relationships, but little is known about how depressive symptoms-peer relationships associations change with age. This study examined the longitudinal associations between both group- and dyadic-level peer relationships and depressive symptoms in a community sample of Chinese youth (n = 2179; 47.9% girls) from grades 6 to 9. Results demonstrated correlations between stable trait-like components of peer acceptance/rejection and depressive symptoms, with no dynamic state-like associations being observed. The results also suggested that conflict with friends operated as a consistent interpersonal risk for subsequent depressive symptoms across late childhood to middle adolescence. Support from friends was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms in early adolescence, but influenced and was influenced by depressive symptoms in middle adolescence. This study highlights that depressive symptoms are associated with youth's peer social status and friendship in different ways and that the interactions between friendship and depressive symptoms get strengthened with the transition to adolescence.

Indirect effect of parental depression on school victimization through adolescent depression

BACKGROUND

While a link between parental depression and adolescent school victimization is frequently hypothesized, studies on this association have shown mixed results. In addition, adolescent depression has been considered a potential psychosocial mechanism underlying the link between parental depression and adolescent school victimization. However, studies to support this proposition are lacking. This paper examines the direct effect of parental depression on adolescent victimization by peers and teachers in school as well as indirect effect through adolescent depression in an Asian context (Taiwan) and further examines differences in the interrelationships of parental depression, adolescent depression, and school victimization by peers and teachers across gender and school age groups.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a random sample of 2,419 students (grades 7-12) and their parents in one of the largest metropolitan areas in Taiwan.

RESULTS

Parental depression did not have a significant direct association with either type of school victimization. However, parental depression showed a significant indirect association with both types of school victimization through adolescent depression. These findings applied to both males and females and both junior and senior high school students.

LIMITATION

The study utilized cross-sectional data, and the findings cannot be used to build causal relationships.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide empirical support that parental depression has indirect associations with school victimization by peers and teachers through adolescent depression. The results support the importance of including family-based approaches for depression targeting parents and adolescents in future victim intervention/prevention school programs.

A Four-Year Prospective Study of Bullying, Anxiety, and Disordered Eating Behavior Across Early Adolescence

We investigated the developmental pathways by which bullying perpetration and victimization, anxiety, and disordered eating behavior were related. Participants were drawn from the Canadian McMaster Teen Study. From Grade 5-8 (age 10-14), students (n = 657) were assessed on bullying involvement and symptoms of anxiety, and in Grade 7 and 8, students additionally completed a measure of clinically significant disordered eating behavior. Bullying victimization initiated a cascading effect on bullying perpetration, which subsequently led to disordered eating behavior. Anxiety had direct effects on disordered eating behavior at multiple time points and initiated a cascading effect on bullying victimization, and subsequently, perpetration. There was no evidence of moderation by sex. Bullying perpetration and anxiety may serve as early signals of eating pathology. Bullying prevention programs may attenuate the risk of disordered eating in both sexes, and the high continuity of disordered eating behavior suggests that early intervention is critical.

The temporal sequence of depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and self-esteem across adolescence: Evidence for an integrated self-perception driven model

Depression is associated with a multiplicity of adverse outcomes in adolescence, including peer victimization and low self-esteem. Depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and self-esteem are linked in cross-sectional studies, but no longitudinal study has been conducted assessing their developmental pathways in one integrated model across adolescence. We explored their temporal sequencing in a normative sample of 612 Canadian adolescents (54% girls) assessed annually over 5 years (Grade 7 to Grade 11). Potential confounders such as biological sex, ethnicity/race, and parent income and education were statistically controlled. We found evidence for the vulnerability model (self-esteem predicting depression) and the symptoms-driven model (depression predicting peer victimization). Our findings also supported the integration of these pathways into a self-perception driven model characterized by the indirect effect of self-esteem on later peer victimization via depressive symptoms. Specifically, poor self-esteem initiated a developmental cascade that led to poor mood and poor peer relations. These results highlight the importance of helping youth form a healthy identity that promotes positive mental health and peer relations, and the need to intervene with depressed, victimized, and at-risk adolescents to instill positive self-regard. Our results also emphasize the central role that self-perceptions play in the onset and maintenance of poor outcomes.

Longitudinal Associations Among Bullying by Peers, Disordered Eating Behavior, and Symptoms of Depression During Adolescence

Importance

Bullying by peers has been associated with disordered eating behavior and symptoms of depression among adolescents as both an antecedent and an outcome. Identification of the temporal pattern of associations among bullying by peers, disordered eating behavior, and depression in adolescence is needed for the optimal targeting of intervention and prevention.

Objective

To assess the concurrent and longitudinal associations among bullying by peers, disordered eating behavior, and symptoms of depression using a cascade model that controlled for within-time and across-time (ie, stability paths) associations while examining cross-lag effects.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this 5-year longitudinal cohort study, 612 participants of the McMaster Teen Study were included. This ongoing Canadian study examines the associations among bullying, mental health, and educational outcomes. Data collection began in 2008 when students were in grade 5 (10 years of age) and have since been collected annually. Data analysis was performed between August 20 and October 18, 2017.

Exposures

Bullying by peers was assessed in grades 7 to 11 using a composite measure of 5 items.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Disordered eating behavior was assessed in grades 7 to 11 using the Short Screen for Eating Disorders, and depressive symptoms were assessed in grades 7 to 11 using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition.

Results

The 612 students included in the analytic sample had a mean age (SD) of 13.03 (0.38) years in grade 7; 331 (54.1%) were girls and 392 (71.1%) were white. Bullying by peers was concurrently associated with disordered eating behavior and depressive symptoms at every time point during the 5-year period (r range [SE], 0.15-0.48 [0.04-0.08]; P < .01). Disordered eating behavior was associated longitudinally with depressive symptoms at every time point (β range [SE], 0.14-0.19 [0.06-0.08]; P < .02) and bullying by peers at 2 time points (β range [SE], 0.12-0.22 [0.06-0.07]; P < .04) in girls and boys.

Conclusions and Relevance

Bullying by peers was proximally associated with multiple psychopathologic symptoms, whereas symptoms of disordered eating behavior were a key risk factor for future depressive symptoms and bullying by peers. Interventions aimed at reducing problematic eating behavior in adolescents may attenuate the risk of future depressive symptoms and relational problems.