The relation between anxiety sensitivity and depression in children and adolescents referred for anxiety

Research conducted with adult samples suggests that anxiety sensitivity is positively related to depression (Otto et al., 1995, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 10, 117-123). The Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI, Silverman et al., 1991, Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 20 162-168) was used in this study to provide an examination of the relation between anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and depression in a sample of children and adolescents (N = 234) referred for anxiety disorders. A significant correlation between depression and anxiety sensitivity was found. This relation remained statistically significant when controlling for other aspects of anxiety (i.e. worry, physiological anxiety, and concentration). The similarities between these findings and findings obtained with adults are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.     

Comorbidity of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents.

Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents are reviewed, including differential diagnosis, assessment of symptoms, family history data, developmental features, and clinical correlates. Findings indicate that 15.9% to 61.9% of children identified as anxious or depressed have comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders and that measures of anxiety and depression are highly correlated. Family history data are inconclusive. Differences emerged among children with anxiety, depression, or both disorders. Anxious children were distinguishable from the other 2 groups in that they showed less depressive symptomatology and tended to be younger. The concurrently depressed and anxious group tended to be older and more symptomatic. In this group, the anxiety symptoms tended to predate the depressive symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of a proposed developmental sequence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation between symptoms of anxiety and depression in children: A multitrait-multimethod-multigroup assessment.

Teacher, parent, peer, and self-ratings of depression and anxiety symptoms were obtained from 280 3rd-grade and 211 6th-grade children. Confirmatory factor analysis of these multitrait-multimethod data for 3rd graders revealed low but statistically significant levels of convergent validity, high levels of method variance, and an extremely high correlation between the depression and anxiety factors, even after controlling for shared method variance. Similar analyses of 6th graders revealed slightly higher levels of convergent validity and a somewhat smaller correlation between the depression and anxiety factors. The data support a unified construct model for younger children and are consistent with either a dual factor or a tripartite model of depression and anxiety in older children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differentiation between depression and anxiety: A new scale.

Describes the development of the Paired Anxiety and Depression Scale which measures the relative balance between depression and anxiety but does not yield a quantitative measure of either. Results from undergraduates show that the amount of variance accounted for by the new scale was much greater than the Profile of Mood States and that all differences between Ss instructed to respond as "very depressed" or "very anxious" were significant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of depression in children and adolescents.

In recent decades, research on child and adolescent depression has proliferated. Currently, attention in the field is directed toward examining the epidemiology, causes, course, sequelae, and treatment response of children at risk for developing or presently experiencing depressive disorders. In this article, a developmental psychopathology approach is used to elucidate the development of depressive disorders, the diverse pathways that evolve, and the processes that contribute to varied outcomes. The developmental psychopathology perspective underscores the importance of moving beyond the identification of isolated aberrations in psychological and biological components of depressive presentations to the understanding of how those components have evolved and how they are integrated within and transact across biological, psychological, and social systems. Implications for prevention and intervention are addressed as is the importance of increasing the public awareness of depressive disorders and reducing the social stigma that interfere with the attainment of treatment for depressed persons. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive attributes of depression in children and adolescents.

This study explores whether cognitive attributes differentiate depressed children from those with other psychiatric disorders. The subjects were 108 children from 7 to 17 years of age. Forty-seven children were diagnosed as currently depressed, 30 as having had an episode of major depression within the last year (depressed-resolved), and 31 with diagnoses other than depression (nondepressed). The subjects completed the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, the Children's Hopelessness Scale, the Nowicki-Strickland Children's Locus of Control Scale, the Children's Attributional Styles Questionnaire, and the Children's Depression Inventory. The depressed children endorsed significantly lower self-esteem, more hopelessness, a more externalized locus of control, and a more depressive attributional style than the depressed-resolved or the nondepressed children. Thus, a depressive cognitive style can be documented in clinically depressed young people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of children of alcoholics: Predicting young adult substance use disorders, anxiety, and depression.

This study tested the specificity of parent alcoholism effects on young adult alcohol and drug abuse/dependence, anxiety, and depression, and tested whether adolescent symptomatology and substance use mediated parent alcoholism effects. Participants were from a longitudinal study in which a target child was assessed in adolescence and young adulthood with structured interview measures (N?=?454 families at Time 1). Results showed unique effects of parent alcoholism on young adult substance abuse/dependence diagnoses over and above the effects of other parental psychopathology. There was some evidence of parent alcoholism effects on young adult depression and of maternal alcoholism effects on young adult anxiety, although these were not found consistently across subsamples. Mediational models suggested that parent alcoholism effects could be partially (but not totally) explained by adolescent externalizing symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of the relation between language and theory-of-mind development.

Fifty-nine 3-year-olds were tested 3 times over a period of 7 months in order to assess the contribution of theory of mind to language development and of language to theory-of-mind development (including the independent contributions of syntax and semantics). Language competence was assessed with a standardized measure of reception and production of syntax and semantics (the Test of Early Language Development). Theory of mind was assessed with false-belief tasks and appearance–reality tasks. Earlier language abilities predicted later theory-of-mind test performance (controlling for earlier theory of mind), but earlier theory of mind did not predict later language test performance (controlling for earlier language). These findings are consistent with the argument that language is fundamental to theory-of mind development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of psychotherapy for depression in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis.

Serious sequelae of youth depression, plus recent concerns over medication safety, prompt growing interest in the effects of youth psychotherapy. In previous meta-analyses, effect sizes (ESs) have averaged .99, well above conventional standards for a large effect and well above mean ES for other conditions. The authors applied rigorous analytic methods to the largest study sample to date and found a mean ES of .34, not superior but significantly inferior to mean ES for other conditions. Cognitive treatments (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy) fared no better than noncognitive approaches. Effects showed both generality (anxiety was reduced) and specificity (externalizing problems were not), plus short- but not long-term holding power. Youth depression treatments appear to produce effects that are significant but modest in their strength, breadth, and durability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive bias and depression in psychiatrically disturbed children and adolescents.

Developed a cognitive bias questionnaire for children (CBQC) to examine the relation between cognitive distortion and depression in 39 psychiatrically disturbed 8–16 yr olds. Results indicate that the Depressed–Distorted scale from the CBQC was significantly correlated with Ss' psychiatric and self-reported ratings of depression and could significantly discriminate affective from nonaffective disorders. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analyzing true change in longitudinal multitrait-multimethod studies: Application of a multimethod change model to depression and anxiety in children.

The authors show how structural equation modeling can be applied to analyze change in longitudinal multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) studies. For this purpose, an extension of latent difference models (McArdle, 1988; Steyer, Eid, & Schwenkmezger, 1997) to multiple constructs and multiple methods is presented. The model allows investigators to separate true change from measurement error and to analyze change simultaneously for different methods. The authors also show how Campbell and Fiske’s (1959) guidelines for analyzing convergent and discriminant validity can be applied to the measurement of latent change. The practical application of the multimethod change model is illustrated in a reanalysis of child depression and anxiety scores (N = 906 American children) that were assessed by self- and parent reports on three measurement occasions. The analyses revealed that (a) the convergent validity of change was low for both constructs and (b) sex was a significant predictor of self-reported, but not of parent reported, anxiety states. Finally, the authors discuss advantages and limitations and compare the model with other approaches for analyzing longitudinal MTMM data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Control-related beliefs and depression among clinic-referred children and adolescents.

Does childhood depression involve a perceived lack of control? The answer may depend on which dimension of control one examines. Here, building on recent theory, we distinguished between two dimensions: beliefs about the contingency of outcomes and beliefs about one"s own competence to perform outcome-relevant behavior. Three separate groups of clinic-referred children (aged 8–17) were sampled, one before therapy and two afterward. In all three groups, low levels of perceived competence were significantly correlated with children"s Childhood Depression Inventory (CDI) scores. Multiple regression analyses with several predictors revealed that, in each sample, competence beliefs accounted for substantial unique variance in CDI scores. In contrast, contingency beliefs were not correlated with CDI scores in any of the samples. Finally, CDI scores were consistently correlated with attributions of success and failure to "unknown"" causes. Overall, the results link childhood depression to perceived incompetence and to "contingency uncertainty,"" but not to perceived noncontingency. This suggests, in turn, that children may be more susceptible to "personal helplessness"" forms of depression than to forms identified with "universal helplessness."" (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations of positive and negative affectivity to anxiety and depression in children: Evidence from a latent variable longitudinal study.

The tripartite model of anxiety and depression has been studied with adults; however, support is still emerging with children concerning measurement and relations between positive (PA) and negative (NA) affect and psychopathology. In this longitudinal study of 270 4th- to 11th-grade children (mean age=12.9 years, SD=2.23), confirmatory factor analysis supported a 2-factor orthogonal model of children's self-reported affect and revealed that the concurrent relations of NA and PA to anxiety and depression symptoms were consistent with the tripartite model. Structural equation modeling demonstrated moderate cross-time stability of trait PA and NA, consistent with a temperament view of these factors, as well as partial support for the role of NA and PA in the development of anxiety and depression symptoms in children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective relations between rejection and depression in young adolescents.

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the relations between rejection and depression across 3 years in young adolescents who varied with regard to their risk for depression. The sample consisted of 240 adolescents who were assessed in grades 6, 7, and 8. The assessment of rejection was based on adolescent-, mother-, and teacher-report, and depression assessment was based on adolescent- and mother-report and clinician ratings. Structural equation modeling indicated that rejection prospectively predicted depression. The authors did not find that depression prospectively predicted rejection, but such a relation cannot be ruled out because of strong cross-sectional correlations between depression and rejection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Body-image and eating disturbances predict onset of depression among female adolescents: A longitudinal study.

This study examined data from a 4-year school-based longitudinal study (n?=?1,124), to test whether the increase in major depression that occurs among girls during adolescence may be partially explained by the body-image and eating disturbances that emerge after puberty. Elevated body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, and bulimic symptoms at study entry predicted onset of subsequent depression among initially nondepressed youth in bivariate analyses controlling for initial depressive symptoms. Although the unique effect for body dissatisfaction was not significant in the multivariate model, this set of risk factors was able to fairly accurately foretell which girls would go on to develop major depression. Results were consistent with the assertion that the body-image- and eating-related risk factors that emerge after puberty might contribute to the elevated rates of depression for adolescent girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal examination of familial risk factors for depression among inner-city African American adolescents.

This research examines longitudinally associations between family risk factors and child and parent depression in 302 urban, low-income, African American adolescents (ages 9-15) and their parents across 2 waves of data collection. Diagnostic data revealed that 7.3% of parents and 3.0% of children at Time 1 and 5.4% of parents and 2.8% of children at Time 2 were clinically depressed. Regression analyses revealed that changes in family functioning were concurrently associated with changes in depression for both children and parents. Specifically, increases in conflict and decreases in parental monitoring were associated with increases in child depressive symptomatology, and increases in conflict and decreases in positive parenting were associated with increases in parental depressive symptomatology. Findings are discussed within a framework of understanding family protective factors and the prevention of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of AIDS conversations between mothers and adolescents

This paper presents the results of a study on the introduced, free-ranging patas monkey population of Southwestern Puerto Rico (SWPR). It describes information on the population size, social group composition, diet, daily ranging patterns, and patas home range during a 3 year period. The patas monkey population in the study area consisted of approximately 120 individuals in four heterosexual groups and several all-male bands. Within their home ranges (26.8 km2), the population density was 4.47 individuals/km2. Home range size among the population's four heterosexual groups varied from 3.72 km2 to 15.39 km2, and minimum daily distance traveled ranged from 0.8-2.0 km. In general, the social structure and mating system of this population parallels what has been described for African populations. However, habitat use, ranging behavior, and the quality of intergroup interactions suggests that patas of this population exhibit territorial behavior.