A low level of social skills in early adolescence predicts depression in both girls and boys during later adolescence, and a lack of friend support in middle adolescence mediates this relationship for girls but not for boys, according to findings from a longitudinal population-based study.
The findings underscore a need for social skills training in programs aimed at preventing the development of depression in both genders, and for training for girls on how to cope with interpersonal difficulties, Wendy Nilsen, Ph.D., of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, and her colleagues reported in the February issue of the Journal of Adolescence.
The investigators studied 566 adolescents involved in TOPP (Norwegian Tracking Opportunities and Problems Project) who completed a questionnaire at age 12.5 years. Of these, 456 also completed a questionnaire at age 14.5 years and 375 also completed a questionnaire at age 16.5 years.
At ages 12.5 and 16.5 years, girls reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than boys, and at age 12.5 they reported significantly more social skills than boys. For both boys and girls, social skills at age 12.5 years correlated positively with social support at age 14.5 and correlated negatively with depressive symptoms at age 16.5. Social support at age 14.5 correlated negatively with depressive symptoms at age 16.5, but only for girls, the investigators said (J. Adolesc. 2013;36:11-20).
A significant increase in depressive symptoms from age 12.5 years to age 16.5 was noted for the total sample, but gender-based analysis demonstrated that the increase was significant only in girls.
Thus, female gender predicted increases in depressive symptoms, Dr. Nilsen and her associates said, noting that a low level of social support from friends at age 14.5, but not a low level of parent or teacher support, was associated with the increases.
The findings confirm those of previous studies showing that a lack of social skills and social support are risk factors for future depressive symptoms. The findings also support those from other studies indicating that gender-specific mechanisms for these relationships exist. Few studies, however, have examined the interaction between social skills, support, and depressive symptoms.
Indeed, more knowledge about the gender-specific mechanisms behind the prospective association between these factors and depressive symptoms throughout adolescence is needed to improve preventive programs, the investigators said.
Participants in this study were part of TOPP, which includes 90% of all Norwegian families with children. Adolescents, who were invited to participate via a letter sent to their mothers, were assessed using the 13-item Short Mood and Feelings questionnaire; the 24-item self-reported version of the Social Skills Rating System; and self-reported 3-, 3-, and 10-item measures aimed at assessing friend, teacher, and parent support, respectively.
Though limited by the self-reported nature of the data and by a pattern of dropouts that might limit generalization of the results to the general adolescent population, the findings are from a large population-based sample of adolescents at three time points using validated measures, noted Dr. Nilsen and her associates.
"In sum, the current study indicated that there are both gender-specific and source-specific mechanisms underlying the relationship between social skills and depressive symptoms – specifically related to friend support as a mediator for girls," the investigators wrote, adding that the results highlight the "universal importance" of social skills in early adolescence both for preventing increased depressive symptoms and for obtaining social support.
TOPP is primarily funded by the Norwegian Research Council. Dr. Nilsen and coauthor Evalill Karevold, Ph.D., also are supported by the Norwegian Research Council and the Norwegian Extra Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation for their doctoral and postdoctoral positions, respectively. The authors had no other disclosures to report.