Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms in Early Adolescents: The Protective Role of Perceived Supportive Parenting

Abstract Background Maternal depressive symptoms (MDSs) are negatively associated with children's academic performance, with stronger effects sometimes reported in boys. However, few studies have tested the mechanisms of this association. We examined the mediating role of school engagement and peer victimization in this association and tested for sex differences. Methods Participants were 1173 families from a population-based longitudinal Canadian study. MDSs were self-reported annually using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (child's age: 5 months to 5 years). Data on mediators (peer victimization, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional school engagement) were reported annually from ages 6–10 by multiple informants including children, parents, and teachers using items from validated scales. Mathematics, reading, and writing exam scores at age 12 were obtained from standardized exams administered by Québec's Ministry of Education and Teaching. Structural equation modeling was used to test mediation by school experiences in boys and girls. Results Exposure to MDSs was negatively associated with mathematics, reading, and writing scores in girls and with mathematics only in boys. Cognitive and behavioral engagement significantly mediated the association between MDSs and mathematics, reading, and writing scores in girls. There were no significant mediators for boys. Conclusions Prevention and intervention strategies aiming to improve school engagement might be beneficial for daughters of mothers experiencing depressive symptoms. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and to identify the mechanisms explaining this association in boys.

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Inhibitory control mediates the interaction between serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and peer victimization on adolescent depressive symptoms

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94267-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaonan Lin ◽

Yanmiao Cao ◽

Linqin Ji ◽

Wenxin Zhang

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Serotonin Transporter ◽

Serotonin Transporter Gene ◽

Transporter Gene ◽

Chinese Han ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

AbstractMany efforts have been devoted to investigating the effect of the interaction between the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and environment (G × E) on depression, but they yield mixed results. The inconsistency has suggested that G × E effects may be more complex than originally conceptualized, and further study is warranted. This study explored the association among 5-HTTLPR, peer victimization and depressive symptoms and the underlying mediating role of inhibitory control in this association. A total of 871 Chinese Han adolescents (Mage = 15.32 years, 50.3% girls) participated and provided saliva samples from which the 5-HTTLPR was genotyped. This study found that 5-HTTLPR interacted with peer victimization in predicting depressive symptoms. Adolescents carrying L allele reported more depressive symptoms than SS carriers when exposed to higher level of peer victimization. Furthermore, adolescents’ inhibitory control deficits mediated the association between 5-HTTLPR × peer victimization and depressive symptoms. These findings suggested that one pathway in which G × E may confer vulnerability to depressive symptoms is through disruptions to adolescents’ inhibitory control system.

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Exploring the effects of physical punishment on aggressive behavior and peer victimization: a conditional process analysis

Journal of Aggression Conflict and Peace Research ◽

10.1108/jacpr-09-2015-0187 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 21-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patrik Söderberg ◽

Kaj Bjorkqvist ◽

Karin Österman

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Aggressive Behavior ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Online Survey ◽

Process Analysis ◽

Physical Punishment ◽

Process Models ◽

Content Type ◽

Conditional Process Analysis

Purpose – Recent studies indicate that exposure to physical punishment is associated with both aggressive behavior and peer victimization at school. The purpose of this paper is to explore the bidirectional relationship between aggressive behavior and peer victimization as outcomes of physical punishment, as well as the role of depressive symptoms. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 2,424 Finnish upper primary school pupils (1,282 girls, 1,148 boys, mean age=14.2, SD=1.0) completed an online survey during class. Two conditional process models were applied using a macro for SPSS developed by Hayes (2012). Findings – Exposure to physical punishment was found to be associated with both aggressive behavior and peer victimization at school. The effect on victimization was partially mediated by aggressive behavior and depressive symptoms, whereas the effect on aggressive behavior was partially mediated by peer victimization experiences but not by depressive symptoms. The relationship between physical punishment and peer victimization was somewhat stronger for girls than for boys, but this effect was not accounted for by gender differences in depressive symptoms or aggressive behavior. Originality/value – Few studies to date have addressed the connection between aggressive behavior and peer victimization as outcomes of physical punishment. In addition, the study expands on the concept of “victim personality” by examining the mediating role of depressive symptoms. Methodologically, the study is an example of how the statistical software SPSS can be used for multiple mediation and conditional process analysis as an alternative to SEM analyses.

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Effects of Polyphenols in a Mediterranean Diet on Symptoms of Depression: A Systematic Literature Review

Advances in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/advances/nmz117 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 602-615 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jessica Bayes ◽

Janet Schloss ◽

David Sibbritt

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Literature Review ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Protective Role ◽

Original Research ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Symptoms Of Depression

ABSTRACT Depression is a mood disorder which currently affects 350 million individuals worldwide. Recently, research has suggested a protective role of diet for depression. The Mediterranean-style dietary pattern has been highlighted in several systematic reviews as a promising candidate for reducing depressive symptoms. It has been speculated that this could be due to the high polyphenol content of foods commonly found in the diet. Therefore, the aim of this review was to assess the effects of polyphenols found in a Mediterranean diet on the symptoms of depression. A systematic literature review was conducted of original research which assessed the role of polyphenols on the symptoms of depression in humans. The following databases were searched: PROQUEST, SCOPUS (Elsevier), MEDLINE (EBSCO), CINAHL, and EMBase, up to 18 February, 2019. The inclusion criteria consisted of both observational and experimental research in adults aged 18–80 y that assessed depression scores in relation to polyphenol intake. A total of 37 studies out of 12,084 met the full inclusion criteria. Of these, 17 were experimental studies and 20 were observational studies. Several different polyphenols were assessed including those from tea, coffee, citrus, nuts, soy, grapes, legumes, and spices. Twenty-nine of the studies found a statistically significant effect of polyphenols for depression. This review has found both an association between polyphenol consumption and depression risk, as well as evidence suggesting polyphenols can effectively alleviate depressive symptoms. The review uncovered gaps in the literature regarding the role of polyphenols for depressive symptoms in both young adults and men. This review was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO as CRD42019125747.

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Stress of Language Brokering and Mexican American Adolescents’ Adjustment: The Role of Cumulative Risk

The Journal of Early Adolescence ◽

10.1177/0272431619847526 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 400-425

Author(s):

Yishan Shen ◽

Eunjin Seo ◽

Dorothy Clare Walt ◽

Su Yeong Kim

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Low Income ◽

Mexican American ◽

Cumulative Risk ◽

Early Adolescents ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Language Brokering ◽

Adjustment Problems

This study focused on early adolescents’ stress of language brokering and examined the moderating role of family cumulative risk in the relation of language brokering to adjustment problems. Data came from self-reports of 604 low-income Mexican American adolescent language brokers (54% female; [Formula: see text]= 12.4; SD = 0.97; 75% born in the United States) and their parents (99% foreign-born) in central Texas. Path analyses revealed that brokering stress, but not frequency, was positively associated with adolescents’ adjustment problems, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, and delinquency. We also found that the relation between stress of brokering for mothers and adolescents’ depressive symptoms was stronger among families with a high cumulative risk. Further, with a high cumulative risk, adolescents exhibited delinquent behaviors regardless of the levels of stress from translating for fathers. Current findings underscore the importance of examining family contexts in assessing the consequences of language brokering for Mexican American early adolescents’ well-being.

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The role of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and school functioning in the association between peer victimization and internet addiction: A moderated mediation model

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2019.05.080 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 256 ◽

pp. 125-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xin Li ◽

Xiaomin Luo ◽

Ruimin Zheng ◽

Xi Jin ◽

Lili Mei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Internet Addiction ◽

Moderated Mediation ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

School Functioning ◽

Mediation Model ◽

Moderated Mediation Model

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Peer social preference and depressive symptoms of children in Italy and the United States

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025407076440 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 274-283 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Jennifer E. Lansford ◽

Cristina Capanna ◽

Kenneth A. Dodge ◽

Gian Vittorio Caprara ◽

John E. Bates ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Aggressive Behavior ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Peer Relationships ◽

Social Preference ◽

The United States ◽

Relationship Problems ◽

American Children ◽

Italian Children

This study examined the role of low social preference in relation to subsequent depressive symptoms, with particular attention to prior depressive symptoms, prior and concurrent aggression, mutual friendships, and peer victimization. Italian children ( N = 288) were followed from grade 6 through grade 8, and American children ( N = 585) were followed from kindergarten through grade 12. Analyses demonstrate that low social preference contributes to later depressive symptoms. The effects are not accounted for by depressive symptoms or aggression experienced prior to low social preference but are mostly accounted for by the co-occurrence of depressive symptoms with concurrent aggressive behavior; gender, mutual friendships, and peer victimization generally did not moderate these associations. We conclude that peer relationship problems do predict later depressive symptoms, and a possible mechanism through which this effect occurs is through the effect of poor peer relationships on increasing aggressive behavior, which is associated with depressive symptoms.

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