Correlation Between Psychosocial Stress and Depression among Adolescents

Abstract

Background:

The data of various studies indicates, that stressful life events having a strong influence to the development of depression in adolescence.

Aim:

To study the correlation between psychosocial stress and depression among adolescents.

Methods:

The subjects of the study were 1026 schoolchildren (519 boys and 507 girls) of secondary schools (ninth form pupils) of one administrative region of Lithuania. Average age of adolescents was 14,8±1,12 years. The 57-item Depression scale of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for Adolescents (MMPI-A D) and 7-item Reeder scale were used.

Results:

The first four factors of depression (pessimism, hostility, somatic health, tension-anxiety) after MMPI-A D scale orthogonal varimax rotation were used in data analysis. Correlative analysis was show statistically meaning correlations between depression, the pessimism factor and the all items of psychosocial stress for the girls. The boys’ tension-anxiety factor correlated statistically meaning with all items of psychosocial stress. Comparing depressive and not depressive adolescents according Reeder scale, determined that both: depressive boys (p=0,043), and depressive girls (p< 0,0001) experienced more psychosocial stress comparing with not depressive adolescents. The stepwise regression analyses differed an importance of the items “nervous tension” (p=0,011), “stress because of communication” (p=0,014) for the girls’ depression and the items “nervous tension” (p=0,011), “physical and mental exhaustion at the end of a day” (p=0,003) for the boys’ depression.

Conclusions:

1. 1. Depressive boys and girls experienced more psychosocial stress comparing with not depressive adolescents.

2. 2. Psychosocial stress is important for prognosis of depression in adolescence.