About this session

Thursday, 11:50 AM - 1:20 PM

Adolescent depression, NSSI, and suicidality: What predicts them and what prevents them?

Depression, nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicidality are interconnected (Nock et al., 2006) and represent critical issues in adolescent development, each significantly influencing long-term mental health outcomes. This symposium will first examine the psychosocial factors contributing to these mental health challenges, with a focus on the short-term effects of peer victimization, the impact of childhood maltreatment, and the long-term implications of suicide bereavement. Finally, a study on the potential of expressive writing to reduce depression will be presented to conclude the discussion.

The first study highlights how specific patterns of childhood maltreatment correlate with early adolescents' NSSI through alterations in diurnal cortisol rhythms. Understanding these physiological pathways will help better identify maltreated youth at risk. The second study, following suicide-bereaved adolescents over 24 years, employs LGMM to uncover three distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms—resilience, recovery, and delayed depression—and identifies factors influencing individuals’ trajectory placement. The third study uses cross-lagged panel models to reveal the reciprocal associations between various forms of peer victimization, NSSI, and suicidality, emphasizing the need for interventions to address these interconnected issues. The final study explores the effects of novel expressive writing interventions, which are found to significantly reduce depression among first-year high school students.

Collectively, these findings underscore the importance of considering individual and contextual factors when addressing adolescent mental health issues and promoting a multifaceted approach to enhance psychological resilience. This symposium aims to inform future research and clinical practices in addressing the complex interplay of life adversities and mental health outcomes in adolescents.

Paper #1
Title	Childhood maltreatment patterns are prospectively linked to adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury via diurnal cortisol
Presenting author	Qianqian Gao, Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China, China

Paper #2
Title	Depressive Symptoms Over 24 Years in Suicide-Bereaved Individuals: From Adolescence to Adulthood
Presenting author	Ruqian Ma, College of Education, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, United States

Paper #3
Title	Short-term association between peer victimisation and suicidality and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence
Presenting author	Dr. Xinxin Zhu, University of Edinburgh, UK, United Kingdom

Paper #4
Title	Examining expressive writing as a potential strategy to reduce depression in high school students
Presenting author	Dr. Lingjun Chen, School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, China

View all paper details

Session chair
Dr. Lingjun Chen, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

⇦ Back to schedule