Description
TitleWhy are anxiety and depressive symptoms comorbid in youth?
Date Created2014
Other Date2014-10 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (ix, 46 p. : ill.)
DescriptionComorbidity, defined as the manifestation of multiple disorders within an individual, has become the rule, rather than the exception. In youth, the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety is not only common, but leads to a more severe course of mental illness and poorer treatment response. Thus, researchers have aimed to understand the development of this frequent, and deleterious, relation. A collection of research points to two developmental explanations for why depression and anxiety may relate: A causal model, in which anxiety predicts depression, and a correlated liabilities model, where shared vulnerability factors predict both anxiety and depression. While promising trends have been identified for both models, a consistent pattern for the development of comorbid symptoms has yet to emerge. The present study sought to clarify past research by introducing a diathesis-anxiety approach to understanding comorbidity in youth. Specifically, we predicted that specific cognitive vulnerabilities would interact with anxiety symptoms to predict prospective depressive symptoms. For this study, 678 3rd (n=208), 6th (n=245), and 9th (n=225) grade girls (n=380) and boys (n=298) completed self-report measures at baseline assessing cognitive vulnerabilities (rumination, negative inferential styles, and self-criticism), stressors, depression, and anxiety. Every 3 months over the next 18 months, youth completed follow-up measures of depression, anxiety, and stressors. Findings supported a diathesis-anxiety approach for self-criticism (t(2494) = 3.36, p < .001) and rumination (t(2505) = 2.40, p = .05). On the other hand, partial support was found for a correlated liabilities model, as girls with a negative inferential style were more likely to experience both depressive (t(2518) = 2.66, p = 0.008) and anxiety (t(1436) = 2.08, p = 0.03) symptoms following a negative event. Finally, no support was found for a causal model, as anxiety symptoms did not uniquely predict depressive symptoms (p > .05). These results clarify past results concerning comorbidity by suggesting that multiple pathways exist for comorbid depressive and anxiety states, and by introducing diathesis-anxiety models as an important and novel explanation for comorbid emotional distress in youth. Clinical implications and future developmental psychopathology research on this important topic are discussed.
NoteDr.P.H.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby Joseph R. Cohen
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.