Trajectories of stressful life events and depressive symptoms during adolescence.

TLDR

The study aimed to examine how stressful life events and depressive symptoms evolve during adolescence in a cohort of 191 girls and 185 boys from intact rural Midwestern families. Researchers conducted a 4‑year longitudinal analysis using latent growth curve modeling to track life events and depressive symptom trajectories in the sample. Results revealed that depressive symptom trajectories differ by sex, with girls showing a curvilinear increase after age 13 linked to uncontrollable events, higher symptom levels associated with life events for both sexes, and greater vulnerability among girls with less supportive mothers.

Abstract

This 4-year longitudinal study of 191 girls and 185 boys living in intact Camilies in the rural Midwest examines the trajectories of life events and depressive symptoms in adolescence. The trajectories of depressive symptoms differ between boys and girls. Compared with boys, girls experienced a greater number of depressive symptoms after age 13. Changes in uncontrollable events are associated with the increases in girls' but not boys' depressive symptoms. Latent growth curve analyses show that, over 4 years, (a) depressive symptoms for girls changed according to a curvilinear pattern that is associated with changes in stressful events; (b) the level of depressive symptoms is related to the level of life events for both boys and girls; and (c) change in depressive symptoms is significantly related to change in stressful events only for girls. Girls living with less supportive mothers are more vulnerable to negative life changes