Top

Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings

Published in:

01-12-2009

Adolescents’ Social Environment and Depression: Social Networks, Extracurricular Activity, and Family Relationship Influences

Authors: Michael J. Mason, Christopher Schmidt, Anisha Abraham, Leslie Walker, Kenneth Tercyak

Published in: Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings | Issue 4/2009

Abstract

The present study examined components of adolescents’ social environment (social network, extracurricular activities, and family relationships) in association with depression. A total of 332 adolescents presenting for a routine medical check-up were self-assessed for social network risk (i.e., smoking habits of best male and female friends), extracurricular activity level (i.e., participation in organized sports teams, clubs, etc.), family relationship quality (i.e., cohesion and conflict), and symptoms of depression (i.e., minimal, mild, moderate/severe). Results of a forward linear regression modeling indicate that social environment components were associated with a significant proportion of the variance in adolescent depression (Adjusted R ² = .177, p ≤ .05). Specifically, adolescent females (β = .166, p < .01) and those having more smokers in their social network (β = .107, p < .05) presented with significantly greater depression symptoms. Conversely, adolescents who engaged in more extracurricular activities (β = −.118, p < .05) and experienced higher quality family relationships (β = −.368, p < .001) presented with significantly lower depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the important role that the social environment plays in adolescent depression, as well as yields new insights into socially-based intervention targets that may ameliorate adolescent depression. These intervention targets may be gender-specific, include positive social network skills training, increase adolescents’ engagement in organized activities, and attend to the quality of their family relationships.

Adger, H. (1998). Children in alcoholic families: Family dynamics and treatment issues. In A. Graham & T. Schultz (Eds.), Principles of addiction medicine (2nd ed., pp. 1111–1114). Chevy Chase, MD: American Society of Addictive Medicine.

Angst, J., Sellaro, R., & Merikangas, K. R. (2000). Depressive spectrum diagnoses. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 41, 39–47.PubMedCrossRef

Aydin, B., & Öztütüncü, F. (2001). Examination of adolescents’ negative thoughts, depressive mood, and family environment. Adolescence, 36, 77–83.PubMed

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.

Bandura, A., Pastorelli, C., Barbaranelli, C., & Caprara, G. V. (1999). Self-efficacy pathways to childhood depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 258–269.PubMedCrossRef

Barber, B. L., Eccles, J. S., & Stone, M. R. (2001). Whatever happened to the jock, the brain, and the princess? Young adult pathways linked to adolescent activity involvement and social identity. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 429–455.CrossRef

Bartko, T. W., & Eccles, J. (2003). Adolescent participation in structures and unstructured activities: A person-oriented analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 233–241.CrossRef

Bohnert, A. M., & Garber, J. (2007). Prospective relations between organized activity participation and psychopathology during adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 1021–1033.PubMedCrossRef

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989). Ecological system theories. Annals of Child Development, 18, 7–249.

Burt, R. (1984). Network items and the general social survey. Social Networks, 6, 293–339.CrossRef

Cattell, V. (2001). Poor people, poor places, and poor health: The mediating role of social networks and social capital. Social Science and Medicine, 52, 1501–1516.PubMedCrossRef

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey. (2008). MMWR, p. 57.

Chen, X., Unger, J. B., Palmer, P., Weiner, M. D., Johnson, C. A., Wong, M. M., et al. (2002). Prior cigarette smoking initiation predicting current alcohol use: Evidence for a gateway drug effect among California adolescents from eleven ethnic groups. Addictive Behavior, 27, 799–817.CrossRef

Choi, W. S., Pierce, J. P., Gilpin, E. A., & Berry, C. C. (1997). Which adolescent experimenters progress to established smoking in the United States. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 13, 385–391.PubMed

Clark, D., Kirisci, L., & Moss, H. (1998). Early adolescent gateway drug use in sons of fathers with substance use disorders. Additive Behaviors, 23, 561–566.CrossRef

Costello, E. J., Erkanli, A., Federman, E., & Angold, A. (1999). Development of psychiatric comorbidity with substance abuse in adolescents: Effects of timing and sex. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 28, 298–311.PubMedCrossRef

Crick, N. R., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (2003). The development of psychopathology in females and males: Current progress and future challenges. Development and Psychopathology, 15, 719–742.PubMedCrossRef

Cross, S. E., & Madson, L. (1997). Models of the self: Self construals and gender. Psychological Bulletin, 122, 5–37.PubMedCrossRef

Cummings, E. M., & Davies, P. T. (2002). Effects of marital conflict on children: Recent advances and emerging themes in process-oriented research. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43, 31–63.PubMedCrossRef

Curry, J. (2001). Specific psychotherapies for children and adolescent depression. Biological Psychiatry, 49, 1091–1100.PubMedCrossRef

Darling, N. (2005). Participation in extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 493–505.CrossRef

Davies, P., & Cummings, E. M. (1994). Marital conflict and child adjustment: An emotional security hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 387–411.PubMedCrossRef

Ehrenberg, M. F., Cox, D. N., & Koopman, R. F. (1991). The relationship between self-efficacy and depression in adolescents. Adolescence, 26, 361–374.PubMed

Emery, R. E. (1982). Interparental conflict and the children of discord and divorce. Psychological Bulletin, 92, 310–330.PubMedCrossRef

Feldman, A., & Matjasko, J. (2005). The role of school-based extracurricular activities in adolescent development: A comprehensive review and future directions. Review of Educational Research, 75, 159–210.CrossRef

Fergus, S., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2005). Adolescent Resilience: A framework for understanding healthy development in the face of risk. Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 399–419.PubMedCrossRef

Fleming, C. B., Kim, H., Harachi, T. W., & Catalano, R. F. (2002). Family processes for children in early elementary school as predictors of smoking initiation. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 184–189.PubMedCrossRef

Fletcher, A. C., Nickerson, P., & Wright, K. (2003). Structured leisure activities in middle childhood: Links to well-being. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 641–659.CrossRef

Formoso, D., Gonzales, N. A., & Aiken, L. S. (2000). Family conflict and children’s internalizing behavior: Protective factors. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 175–199.PubMedCrossRef

Fredericks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Developmental Psychology, 42, 698–713.CrossRef

Friedman, R., Katz-Leavy, J., Manderscheid, R., & Sondheimer, D. (1998). Prevalence of serious emotional disturbance in children and adolescents. An update. In R. W. Manderscheid & M. A. Sonnenschein (Eds.), Mental health, United States (Vol. 19, pp. 110–112). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Furgusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., & Lynskey, M. T. (1995). Maternal depressive symptoms and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 1161–1178.CrossRef

Garmezy, N. (1983). Stressors of childhood. In N. Garmenzy & M. Rutter (Eds.), Stress, coping, and development in children (pp. 43–84). New York: McGraw Hill.

Geary, D. C. (1998). Male, female: The evolution of human sex differences. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRef

Gibbs, J. T. (1986). Assessment of depression in urban adolescent females: Implications for early intervention strategies. American Journal of Social Psychiatry, 6, 50–56.

Gilman, R., Meyers, J., & Perez, L. (2004). Structured extracurricular activities among adolescents: Findings and implications for school psychologists. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 31–41.CrossRef

Guest, A. M., & McRee, N. (2009). A school-level analysis of adolescent extracurricular activity, delinquency, and depression: The importance of situational context. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 51–62.PubMedCrossRef

Hankin, B. (2006). Adolescent depression: Description, causes, and interventions. Epilespy and Behavior, 8, 102–114.CrossRef

Harold, G. T., & Conger, R. D. (1997). Marital conflict and adolescent distress: The role of adolescent awareness. Child Development, 68, 333–350.PubMed

Heaney, C. A., & Israel, B. A. (1997). Social networks and social support. In K. Glanz, M. L. Frances, & R. K. Barbara (Eds.), Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 179–205). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Hollahan, C., & Moos, R. (1982). Social support and adjustment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10, 403–415.CrossRef

House, J. U. D., & Landis, K. (1998). Structures and processes of social support. Annual Review of Sociology, 14, 293–318.CrossRef

Jacobson, E., & Addis, M. (1993). Research on couples and couple therapy: What do we know? Where are we going? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 85–93.PubMedCrossRef

Kellam, S., Xiange, L., Merica, R., Brown, C., & Ialongo, N. (1998). The effect of the level of aggression in the first grade classroom on the course and malleability of aggressive behavior into middle school. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 165–185.PubMedCrossRef

Kendler, K., Garder, C. O., & Prescott, C. A. (2002). Toward a comprehensive developmental model for major depression in women. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 1133–1145.PubMedCrossRef

Kessler, R. C., Avenevoli, S., & Merikangas, K. R. (2001). Mood disorders in children and adolescents: An epidemiologic perspective. Biological Psychiatry, 49, 1002–1014.PubMedCrossRef

Kessler, R., McGonagle, K., Zhao, S., Nelson, C., Hughes, M., Eshelman, S., et al. (1994). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III psychiatric disorders in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 8–19.PubMed

Krieger, N., Chen, J. T., Waterman, P. D., Soobader, M. J., Subramanian, S. V., & Carson, R. (2003). Choosing area based socioeconomic measures to monitor social inequalities in low birth weight and childhood lead poisoning: The Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project (US). Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 57, 186–199.PubMedCrossRef

Leadbeater, B. J., Blatt, S. J., & Quinlan, D. M. (1995). Gender-linked vulnerabilities to depressive symptoms, stress, and problem behaviors in adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 5, 1–29.CrossRef

Leaf, P., Alegria, M., Cohen, P., Goodman, S. H., Horwitz, S. M., Hoven, C. W., et al. (1996). Mental health service use in the community and schools: Results from the four-community MECA study. Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders Study. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 889–897.CrossRef

Liebow, E., McGrady, G., Branch, K., Vera, M., Klovdahl, A., Lovely, R., et al. (1995). Eliciting social network data and ecological model-building: Focus on choice of name generators and administration of random-walk study procedures. Social Networks, 17, 257–272.CrossRef

Lloyd-Richardson, E. E., Papandonatos, G., Kazura, A., Stanton, C., & Niaura, R. (2002). Differentiating stages of smoking intensity among adolescents: Stage-specific psychological and social influences. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 998–1009.PubMedCrossRef

Maccoby, E. E. (1990). Gender and relationships: A developmental account. American Psychologist, 45, 513–520.PubMedCrossRef

Mahoney, J. L., Schweder, A. E., & Stattin, H. 2002). Structured after-school activities as a moderator of depressed mood for adolescents with detached relations to their parents. Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 69–86.CrossRef

Marsden, P. V. (1987). Core discussion networks of Americans. American Sociological Review, 52, 122–131.CrossRef

Marsden, P. V. (1990). Network data and measurement. Annual Review of Sociology, 16, 435–463.CrossRef

Mason, M. J. (2009). Social network characteristics of urban adolescents in brief substance abuse treatment. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 18, 72–84.CrossRef

Mason, M., Cheung, I., & Walker, L. (2004). Substance use, social networks and the geography of urban adolescents. Substance Use and Misuse, 9, 1751–1778.CrossRef

Mathers, M., Toumbourou, J. W., Catalano, R. F., Williams, J., & Patton, G. C. (2006). Consequences of youth tobacco use: A review of prospective behavioural studies. Addiction, 101, 948–958.PubMedCrossRef

McCaul, K. D., Glasgow, R., O’Neill, H. K., Freeborn, V., & Rump, B. S. (1982). Predicting adolescent smoking. Journal of School Health, 52, 342–346.PubMedCrossRef

Michaelson, M., & Nakamura, J. (2001). Supportive frameworks for youth engagement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Moos, R. H., & Moos, B. (1994). Family Environment Scale Manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists.

Patterson, G. R. (1982). Coercive family process. Eugene, OR: Castalia.

Pine, D. D., Cohen, E., Cohen, P., & Brook, J. (1999). Adolescent depressive symptoms as predictors of adult depression: Moodiness or mood disorder? American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 133–135.PubMed

Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.CrossRef

Reinherz, H. Z., Paradis, A. D., Giaconia, R. M., Stashwick, C. K., & Fitzmaurice, G. (2003). Childhood and adolescent predictors of major depression in the transition to adulthood. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 2141–2147.PubMedCrossRef

Rice, F., Harold, G. T., Shelton, K. H., & Thapar, A. (2006). Family conflict interacts with genetic liability in predicting childhood and adolescent depression. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 45, 841–848.PubMedCrossRef

Rushton, J. L., Forcier, M., & Schectman, R. M. (2002). Epidemiology of depressive symptoms in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41, 199–205.PubMedCrossRef

Sandler, I., Tein, J., & West, S. (1994). Coping, stress, and children of divorce: A longitudinal study. Child Development, 65, 1744–1763.PubMedCrossRef

Scheier, L. M., Botvin, G. J., Griffin, K. W., & Diaz, T. (1999). Latent growth models of drug refusal skills and adolescent alcohol use. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 44, 21–48.

Schimmer, B. P., Tsao, J., & Knapp, M. (1977). Isolation of mutant adrenocortical tumor cells resistant to cyclic nucleotides. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 8, 135–145.PubMedCrossRef

Simons-Morton, B., Haynie, D., Crump, A., Eitel, P., & Saylor, K. (2001). Peer and parent influences on smoking and drinking among early adolescents. Health Education & Behavior, 28, 95–107.CrossRef

Tercyak, K. P., Donze, J. R., Prahlad, S., Mosher, R. B., & Shad, A. T. (2006). Identifying, recruiting, and enrolling adolescent survivors of childhood cancer into a randomized controlled trial of health promotion: Preliminary experiences in the Survivor Health and Resilience Education (SHARE) Program. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 252–261.PubMedCrossRef

Tonge, B., King, N., Klimkeit, E., Melvin, G., Heyne, D., & Gordon, M. (2005). The Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Depression in Adolescents (SEQ-DA) Development and psychometric evaluation. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 14, 357–363.PubMedCrossRef

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1999). Mental health: A report of the surgeon general. Rockville, MD.

Valente, T. (2003). Social networks influence on adolescent substance use: An introduction. Connections, 25, 11–16.

Wells, K., Kataoka, S., & Asarnow, J. (2001). Affective disorders in children and adolescents: Addressing unmet need in primary care settings. Biological Psychiatry, 49, 1111–1120.PubMedCrossRef

Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1982). Vulnerable but invincible: A longitudinal study of resilient children and youth. New York: Adams, Banniser.

Werthamer-Larsson, L. (1994). Methodological issues in school-based services research. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23, 1–132.

Willens, T., & Biederman, J. (1993). Psychopathology in preadolescent children at high risk for substance abuse: A review of the literature. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 1, 207–218.CrossRef

Williams, S., Anderson, J., McGee, R., & Silva, P. A. (1990). Risk factors for behavioral and emotional disorder in preadolescent children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 413–419.PubMedCrossRef

Wise, J. B. (2002). Social cognitive theory: A framework for therapeutic recreation practice. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 36, 335–351.

Zuckerbrot, R. A., Maxon, L., Pagar, D., Davies, M., Fisher, P. W., & Shaffer, D. (2007). Adolescent depression screening in primary care: Feasibility and acceptability. Pediatrics, 119, 101–108.PubMedCrossRef

Title: Adolescents’ Social Environment and Depression: Social Networks, Extracurricular Activity, and Family Relationship Influences
Authors: Michael J. Mason
Christopher Schmidt
Anisha Abraham
Leslie Walker
Kenneth Tercyak
Publication date: 01-12-2009
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings / Issue 4/2009
Print ISSN: 1068-9583
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3572
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-009-9169-4

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Adolescents’ Social Environment and Depression: Social Networks, Extracurricular Activity, and Family Relationship Influences

Abstract

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 4/2009

Do Coping Strategies Discriminate Eating Disordered Individuals Better Than Eating Disorder Features? An Explorative Study on Female Inpatients with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa

Predictors of Recent Mental Health Service Use in a Medical Population: Implications for Integrated Care

Body Image of Greek Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Mastectomy or Breast Conserving Surgery

A Comparison of Mood and Quality of Life Among People with Progressive Neurological Illnesses and Their Caregivers

Letters of Recommendation for the Predoctoral Internship in Medical Schools and Other Settings: Do They Enhance Decision Making in the Selection Process?

Posttraumatic Growth and Optimism in Health-Related Trauma: A Systematic Review