RESUMO
Examines the relation between depression, self-esteem, sex, and age to determine if the previously reported associations between these variables in nonreferred samples remain consistent in a sample of clinically referred patients. Two hundred thirty-six participants between the ages of 6 and 17 years were included. All were consecutive referrals to an outpatient child and adolescent mood disorders program. Eighty-four percent met the criteria for at least 1 depressive disorder from the third and revised edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (major depressive disorder, dysthymia, both, depression NOS, or adjustment disorder with depressive mood). In keeping with previous reports, the data indicate an inverse relation between age and self-esteem and an even stronger inverse relation between depression and self-esteem. However, there was no evidence for a sex difference for self-esteem, alone or interactively with age. The implications of these findings in relation to the importance of self-esteem in depressed youth are discussed.
Assuntos
Transtorno Depressivo/diagnóstico , Identidade de Gênero , Autoimagem , Transtornos de Adaptação/diagnóstico , Transtornos de Adaptação/psicologia , Adolescente , Fatores Etários , Transtorno Depressivo/psicologia , Transtorno Distímico/diagnóstico , Transtorno Distímico/psicologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Inventário de Personalidade , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Encaminhamento e ConsultaRESUMO
The usefulness and efficacy of group psychotherapy with a variety of adolescent problems has been well documented. Far less has been reported with respect to group treatment approaches for youthful depressives, however. Currently available treatments lack specificity, making replication difficult. Additionally, they often focus on a narrow range of deficit areas rather than addressing the multifaceted range of dysfunction characteristic of depression in adolescents. This paper critically reviews the available literature on group treatments with depressed adolescents, explores some of the shortcomings inherent in these reports, and suggests alternatives for future group protocols. It is proposed that subsequent interventions be manualized and that they target affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of adolescent depression. Such an approach would be more amenable to scientific investigation, replication, and comparison with alternative approaches.
