The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents
Aims Cognitive models propose that negative cognitive biases in attention (AB) and interpretation (IB) contribute to the onset of depression. This is the first prospective study to test this hypothesis in a sample of youth with no mental disorder. Methods Participants were 61 youth aged 9–14 years w...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Experimental Psychopathology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20438087231184753 |
| _version_ | 1797786946797305856 |
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| author | Belinda Platt Anca Sfärlea Johanna Löchner Elske Salemink Gerd Schulte-Körne |
| author_facet | Belinda Platt Anca Sfärlea Johanna Löchner Elske Salemink Gerd Schulte-Körne |
| author_sort | Belinda Platt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aims Cognitive models propose that negative cognitive biases in attention (AB) and interpretation (IB) contribute to the onset of depression. This is the first prospective study to test this hypothesis in a sample of youth with no mental disorder. Methods Participants were 61 youth aged 9–14 years with no mental disorder. At baseline (T1) we measured AB (passive-viewing task), IB (scrambled sentences task) and self-report depressive symptoms. Thirty months later (T2) we measured onset of mental disorder, depressive symptoms and life events (parent- and child-report). The sample included children of parents with ( n = 31) and without ( n = 30) parental depression. Results Symptoms of depression at T2 were predicted by IB ( ß = .35, p = .01) but not AB ( ß = .05, p = .72) at T1. This effect was strongest for children who experienced multiple negative life events (F 2,48 = 6.0, p = .018, ΔR 2 = .08). IB did not predict depressive symptoms at T2 over-and-above the effect of depressive symptoms at T1 ( ß = .21, p = .13). Discussion These findings suggest that IB (but not AB) plays an important role in the aetiology of depression. Modifying IB may have a preventive effect on youth depression, particularly for youth who experience negative life events. This prospective study provides important foundations for future experimental studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:15:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d7227c957ab94dbe8cbc6cf9578f82f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2043-8087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:15:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Experimental Psychopathology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d7227c957ab94dbe8cbc6cf9578f82f12023-07-05T11:33:29ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Experimental Psychopathology2043-80872023-07-011410.1177/20438087231184753The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescentsBelinda PlattAnca SfärleaJohanna LöchnerElske SaleminkGerd Schulte-KörneAims Cognitive models propose that negative cognitive biases in attention (AB) and interpretation (IB) contribute to the onset of depression. This is the first prospective study to test this hypothesis in a sample of youth with no mental disorder. Methods Participants were 61 youth aged 9–14 years with no mental disorder. At baseline (T1) we measured AB (passive-viewing task), IB (scrambled sentences task) and self-report depressive symptoms. Thirty months later (T2) we measured onset of mental disorder, depressive symptoms and life events (parent- and child-report). The sample included children of parents with ( n = 31) and without ( n = 30) parental depression. Results Symptoms of depression at T2 were predicted by IB ( ß = .35, p = .01) but not AB ( ß = .05, p = .72) at T1. This effect was strongest for children who experienced multiple negative life events (F 2,48 = 6.0, p = .018, ΔR 2 = .08). IB did not predict depressive symptoms at T2 over-and-above the effect of depressive symptoms at T1 ( ß = .21, p = .13). Discussion These findings suggest that IB (but not AB) plays an important role in the aetiology of depression. Modifying IB may have a preventive effect on youth depression, particularly for youth who experience negative life events. This prospective study provides important foundations for future experimental studies.https://doi.org/10.1177/20438087231184753 |
| spellingShingle | Belinda Platt Anca Sfärlea Johanna Löchner Elske Salemink Gerd Schulte-Körne The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents Journal of Experimental Psychopathology |
| title | The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents |
| title_full | The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents |
| title_fullStr | The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents |
| title_short | The role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents |
| title_sort | role of cognitive biases and negative life events in predicting later depressive symptoms in children and adolescents |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20438087231184753 |
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