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Background: The long-term trajectory of depressive symptoms has a heterogeneous pattern. Identifying factors associated with different trajectories and outcomes may have important theoretical and clinical implications. This study explored patterns of depressive symptom trajectory from adolescence to adulthood, and their relationship with subsequent psychiatric disorders., Method: A sample of 816 participants (58.8% girls; M = 16.58 years old at baseline, SD = 1.21) from a large community sample were interviewed four times during adolescence and adulthood. Depressive symptoms were also assessed. Symptom trajectory identification was based on latent class mixed modeling. Logistic regression was used for predicting emotional and drug use disorder over age 30., Results: Three trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: "decreasing symptom" (decreasing trajectory of symptoms; 15.1% of participants), "increasing symptom" (initially decreasing pattern of symptoms and then increasing; 6.1% of participants), and "normative symptom" (consistently low symptom levels; 78.8% of participants). Predictors of the increasing symptom trajectory were high level of loneliness and state anxiety, presence of an emotional disorder, and low involvement in physical exercise at baseline. This trajectory membership predicted the development of anxiety disorders over age 30. Predictors of the decreasing symptom class were being female and high level of worry at baseline., Conclusions: Long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms are heterogeneous, with each trajectory having different predictors and are associated with different outcomes during adulthood., (© 2020 The Authors. Depression and Anxiety published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: The present study examined the long-term efficacy of a transdiagnostic prevention program, Super Skills for Life (SSL), among young children with emotional problems. SSL is based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral activation, and social skills training., Methods: One-hundred and twenty-three Spanish-speaking children, aged 6 to 8 years, and their parents participated in the study. They were recruited from ten schools. Schools were randomly allocated to either the intervention (IG) or waiting-list control (WLC) groups. The children's parent completed a set of questionnaires to measure their child's anxiety and depressive symptoms, general difficulties and positive attributes, and psychosocial impairment. Parent's assessment at baseline and at a 12-month follow-up was assessed using an intent-to-treat approach., Results: The IG, compared to WLC group, showed significant baseline-to-follow-up reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as in behavioral difficulties and psychosocial impairment in various life domains., Limitations: The small sample size and the reliance on parental reports were the major limitations of this study., Conclusions: This study provides initial evidence of the long-term effects of SSL, suggesting that it is a promising indicated preventive intervention for young children with emotional problems., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Super Skills for Life (SSL) is a transdiagnostic prevention program designed for children with anxiety and depressive symptoms based on cognitive-behavioral therapy. This study is a trial of the efficacy of the SSL program to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in a representative sample of Spanish children aged 6 to 8., Method: This cluster randomized controlled trial involved 123 Spanish-speaking children recruited from 10 schools. Schools were the unit of randomization, and were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: intervention group (SSL) and waiting list control (WLC) group. Assessments were conducted before and after the 8-week intervention., Results: Generalized estimating equations showed that, compared with WLC, the intervention significantly reduced emotional symptoms of anxiety and depression. Significant improvements were also found in specific symptoms of anxiety disorders, and in the interference of anxiety in the child´s life., Conclusions: The findings of this study provide initial support for the immediate effects of SSL, suggesting that it is a valuable resource for the early reduction of anxiety and depressive symptoms in young Spanish-speaking children.

Background: Since depression often has its onset during adolescence, knowledge about adolescents' ability to recognize depression and their beliefs about preventative strategies, treatments, and causes of depression are of importance., Methods: A total of 1984 adolescents, aged 12-17 years, participated in this study. They were recruited from 16 urban and suburban schools in Ahvaz City, Iran by cluster sampling. Participants were presented with a vignette depicting depression that was developed by Jorm and colleagues., Results: About half of the adolescents were able to correctly recognize depression. In terms of dealing with the depression depicted by the character in the vignette, older compared to younger participants, thought it best to ignore the individual or keep him/her busy. Younger adolescents were more likely to believe that depression was the result of god's will and a physical illness, whereas older adolescents tended to consider depression as resulting from the way in which people were raised, and from the normal ups and downs of life. Older, compared to younger adolescents, tended to endorse the preventative value of "not using marijuana" and "never drinking alcohol in excess"., Limitations: Since a hypothetical vignette was used, the findings may not truly reflect the real life experience of depression. The sample was drawn from a single region in Iran., Conclusions: Given adolescents' relatively limited knowledge about depression and their beliefs about the causes and preventative strategies, there is fertile ground for health promotion in Iran., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Iranian translation of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) in school children and adolescents in Iran. The CES-DC is a 20-item self-report scale designed to measure depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. A total of 1,984 children and adolescents, aged 12-17 years, participated in this research. In addition to the CES-DC, all participants completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The CES-DC demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha = .87). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed the same four factor structure as proposed by Radloff. Invariance tests showed an equivalent structure among boys and girls and younger and older adolescents. The CES-DC total scores correlated significantly with the SCAS total scores and the SDQ emotional symptoms subscale, providing support of its convergent validity. To conclude, the CES-DC proved to be a reliable and valid measure of depressive symptoms in the Iranian context.

The present study examined the frequency of self-reported depressive symptoms in high school students aged 11 to 19 years using the Revised Ontario Child Health Study Scales. A high percentage of subjects occasionally experienced some types of depressive symptoms in the last six months. Three levels of diagnostic certainty were generated by varying the severity of depressive symptoms. The frequency of depression for the 'low diagnostic certainty' was 51.6%, the "medium diagnostic certainty' 5.6%, and for the 'high diagnostic certainty' 0%. Depressive symptoms correlated significantly with doctor's visit and life events. The implication of the results for clinical practice and research was discussed.

The main aim of the present study was to examine the frequency and correlates of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were evaluated by means of the Revised Ontario Health Study Scales. The probands were 215 adolescents aged 11 to 19 years. An important finding was the high rates of suicidal thought in the 11-12 year old boys (23.1%) and the 17-19 year girls (26.7%). Our result also showed a significant correlation between depressive symptoms and doctor's visit and critical life events. The implication of the results for clinical practice and research were discussed.