Gender Differences in Early Adolescents’ Relationship Qualities, Self-Efficacy, and Depression Symptoms

Abstract

Relationship qualities and low perceived social self-efficacy might be associated with early adolescents’depression symptoms and with later gender differences in depression prevalence. Gender comparisons in the means, and associations with depression symptoms of self-rated intimate support, conflict, intimate support self-efficacy, and conflict management self-efficacy were examined for predominantly White community-recruited 12-year-olds (114 boys, 109 girls). Perceived low parental intimate support, high conflict with parents, and lower perceived self-efficacy (both types) were related to depression symptoms. Girls reported greater best friend intimate support and less conflict, greater self-efficacy (both types), and stronger conflict-depression associations than did boys. For boys, but not for girls, conflict management self-efficacy contributed unique variance to depression after intimate support and conflict were controlled. Incidentally, sons of fathers with more education reported more paternal intimate support than did sons of less educated fathers; daughters showed the opposite pattern, which generates questions for further research.