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Panel information
Panel 6. Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

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This study examines the impact of support-seeking intentions, anxious solitary (AS) behavior, and peer exclusion on incremental change in depressive symptoms from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to young adulthood. Higher support-seeking intentions are associated with lower depressive symptoms (Yamaguchi et al., 2023). Individuals who exhibit AS tend to be withdrawn and prone to peer exclusion which could limit their ability to seek support. This may perpetuate depressive symptoms that contribute to the helplessness-hopelessness model of anxiety and depression (Gazelle, 2004).

Longitudinal data were prospectively collected over 11 timepoints from third grade through the mid-twenties in a sample of 190 individuals (63% female; M age in adulthood = 24.31, SD = 1.32). Participants self-reported depressive symptoms on the Child Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1980/81) in childhood and on the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1996) in adulthood. Support-seeking intentions were also self-reported on the Self-Report Coping Scale, Support-Seeking Subscale (Causey & Dubow, 2005) in childhood and on the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (Wilson et al., 2005) in adulthood. Peers nominated classmates that exhibited AS behaviors and experienced peer exclusion in third to seventh grade. All measures demonstrated strong internal reliability (α = 0.70–0.94). Mean scores were calculated for each developmental period of interest (Gazelle & Faldowski, 2019).

A multiple regression model tested the effects of support-seeking, AS behavior, peer exclusion, and biological sex on incremental changes in depressive symptoms. As expected, analysis revealed that being female predicted higher depressive symptoms in middle school (see Table 1). Higher depressive symptoms in elementary school predicted higher depressive symptoms in middle school. Unexpectedly, higher support-seeking intentions in elementary school predicted slightly higher depressive symptoms in middle school but higher support-seeking intentions in middle school were associated with lower depressive symptoms in middle school. More AS behavior in middle school was associated with higher depressive symptoms at that time. The interaction between AS behavior and peer exclusion in middle school indicates an association with slightly lower depressive symptoms. A significant sex by middle school depressive symptoms interaction was observed indicating that change in depressive symptoms over time was greater for females at this point. Direct interactions between elementary school variables, except depressive symptoms and support-seeking intentions, were not significant. Indirect effects contributed to the model’s overall explanation of 69% of the variance in middle school depressive symptoms.

In turn, higher depressive symptoms in middle school predicted higher depressive symptoms in adulthood (see Table 2). Higher support-seeking intentions in adulthood was associated with lower depressive symptoms in adulthood. While sex did not directly influence depressive symptoms in adulthood, there was a significant sex by adulthood depressive symptoms interaction indicating that change in depressive symptoms over time was greater for males, contrary to expected trends. Direct interactions between middle school variables, except depressive symptoms, were not significant. Indirect effects contributed to the model’s overall explanation of 38% of the variance in adulthood depressive symptoms.

Findings suggest that addressing depressive symptoms early on and enhancing current support-seeking intentions may lower depressive symptoms.

Author information

Author	Role
Meghan Litchfield, Florida State University	Presenting author
Heidi Gazelle, Florida State University	Non-presenting author

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