A longitudinal study of depressive symptoms among African -American adolescents: Their patterns of change and effects on school outcomes and substance use.

Abstract

Depressive symptoms are considered to be a common phenomenon during adolescence. It is estimated that one fifth of adolescents will report having these symptoms during this period. Most research on depression among adolescents, however, has been conducted with white youth and little is known about depression among African-American youth. To address this limitation, three longitudinal studies were conducted. These studies examined depressive symptoms among African-American adolescents and their relationship with several psychosocial factors, school outcomes, and substance use. In the first study, the trajectories of depressive symptoms over the course of four years were examined along with the predictors associated with these symptoms. The results of this first study revealed four trajectories of depressive symptoms: consistently high, consistently low, decreasing, and increasing. Consistently high levels of depressive symptoms were associated with lower self-esteem, higher anxiety, and stress. In the second study the influence of depressive symptoms on school motivational factors, GPA, and absenteeism was examined. The results found indicate that depressive symptoms predict decreases in GPA, school bonding, and academic self-efficacy, and increases in school value and absenteeism. In the third study, the relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette, marijuana, and alcohol use was examined during the high school years and the transition to adulthood. The results found indicate that depressive symptoms preceed cigarette and marijuana use. The relationship of depressive symptoms with alcohol use appears to be reciprocal. Overall, the results of these three studies suggest that depressive symptoms are associated with negative developmental outcomes and adaptation among African-American youth. These findings suggest the need to conduct future research to further understand the risk and protective factors associated with the development of depressive symptoms among African-American youth. In the final section of the dissertation, a summary and integration of the results found in the three studies are presented.