Depression in adolescence: social skills and socio-demographic variables as risk factors/protection

Abstract

Social skills and socio-demographic variables have been identified as risk/protective factors that may be predictive of adolescent depression. However, it is not yet clear which classes of social skills and which socio-demographic variables which would be critical in this relation. This study had as aim the investigation of which of these variables could be risk or protection factors of depression in adolescence, as well as evaluate the predictive power of a model that includes these variables. Participated 642 adolescents (mean age=13 years), 103 with and 539 without depression indicators. The data, collected with the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents (IHSA-Del-Prette), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Criterion Brazil (CCEB), were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Most common skills of empathy and self-control as well as age of 12 years proved protective factors; difficulty in the skills of civility and feminine gender were shown to be risk factors. The model evaluated had low predictive power. The implications of the results are discussed.