Depression In Adolescence

Running Head : DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENCE

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DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENCE

DEPRESSION DURING DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESENCE

Introduction

Due to the physical development and hormonal changes in adolescence, teenagers

experience psycho social, emotional, cognitive and intellectual changes. This is the

bridging gap between childhood and adulthood. Therefore, consolidation and

development of self and sexual identity is greatly witnessed. They also become

sensitive about peoples opinions especially about their looks and their personalities

especially from their fellow age-mates. This results to them wanting to make

independent decisions ranging from whom they want to spend time with, how they

want to look and also what food they want to eat. In addition peer influence and

pressure may lead to depression among them as they try to fit in the society.

Literature Review

Depression among adolescents is increasing at an alarming rate in the contemporary

world. According to ( Morgan & Rawana, 2014), there is a direct relationship between

depression and teenagers developmental factors such as Body Mass index (BMI),

eating habits and other weight related factors. National Survey on Drug use and

Health also indicates that, approximate three million teenagers in the age gap of

between 12 and 17 experience depressive disorders at least once in their lifetime. This

represents an estimate of 12 % of the entire United States population (NSDUH, 2015).

Another study carried out by ( Ferreiro et al, 2012 ) indicates that there is a

correlation between body image, self-esteem and depression among adolescents

which plays a major role in learning better the relationship between depression and

gender. The study further explains the dangers of adolescents’ depression which is

commonly ignored in the contemporary society. According to Stice et al.(2010) a

study was conducted on adolescent girls and the findings indicated that girls were

DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENCE

mainly stressed about their looks hence induced dietary restraints such as bulimia

nervosa in order to be able to control their weight. The subsequent outcomes were

depression in case they did not achieve the intended results. According to Rayana &

Morgan,( 2014 ) more research needed to be conducted on how stress and

self-perception, body weight and image are interrelated. The author’s main aim is to

research more on the same influence among males. This is because there was little

information or no research carried out during the period of this study.

Hypothesis

The main objective of the study was to identify some of the main depressive

symptoms as one move from an adolescent to an adult. Using a cross sectional study

and survey, the researcher wanted to focus on the gender differences because of the

gap in the existing information about eating behaviors and weight related

psychological stress. The researcher also wanted to investigate how depression comes

about in relation to changes in eating and weight related disturbances and self esteem

across both genders during adolescence (Rayana & Morgan, 2014).

Methodology

The research used both primary and secondary sources to obtain data. This ensures

that completeness of information was well taken off. Secondary data was used using

Canada’s data base website which involved large communities. In this case, sampling

of the adolescents was done using longitudinal studies of randomly selected

individuals where their lives had been followed from child hood to adulthood. This

ensured that adequate data was captured during all life transitions especially during

adolescence which was the main area of interest. Use of longitudinal survey was also

beneficial to the research due to its ability to cover a large population. It also enabled

the researcher to collect data without interfering with his or her subjects. In this case,

DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENCE

this method enhanced data collection of depression in adolescence lifespan in a longer

period of time (Blessing & Chakrabati, 2009).

Different methods were used to measure the different trajectories of depression

symptoms. Body Mass Index of the participants was taken weight and height as given

by each individual. Their BMI was then calculated using Body weight in Kg divided

by height in meters. The ranges were then compared to the CDC values SPQD

questionnaires were also used to answers questions about their self-esteem, body

dissatisfaction and if they were comfortable with their weight. The researchers were

also able to present both genders where male and female were represented using 0 and

1 respectively. Depressive symptoms which were BMI, body dissatisfaction

self-esteem and efforts to manage weight were used as measures (( Rawana &

Morgan, 2014).

Results

Descriptive method was used to analyze the results. It was found that female exhibited

more depressive symptoms compared to males across all ages. This was different at

the age of 20 whereby their mean difference did not have a statistical significance.

BMI was also seen to be normal among most of the participants which had a direct

relationship with an individual’s self-esteem. Total Mean for the adolescence

self-esteem was also seen to be consistent among ages of 12, 14, 16 and 20. However,

females seemed more concerned about their self-esteem compared to males. In terms

of body dissatisfaction, females self-esteem was easily affected than that of men

(Tsukayana, 2010).

Mean difference in body dissatisfaction was observed in both males and females

across all ages. However, more females were dissatisfied than males. According to the

study, depressive symptom in females increased between 12 and 14 yrs and reduced

DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENCE

by 16 yrs. They then increased again at the age of 19 and reduce sharply by 21 yrs. In

males, more males were exhibiting signs and symptoms of depression by 14- 17 yrs

indicating that depression was nonlinear in trajectory of developmental stress between

males and females. The results indicated that both male and female adolescence

develop differently and hence their psychological effect on their behaviour cannot be

the same in similar aged males and females ( Rawana & Morgan, 2014).

Summary

This article provides evidence to earlier research that depression increases and

decreases at different stages of adolescence. It is evident that at the initial stage of 12 -

14, depression is at its peak among both male and females. This is caused by the new

hormonal, physical and psychological changes in their bodies. Once they get familiar

with them, the depression symptoms drastically reduce until the age of 17- 21 when

they seem to increase again. During transitional stages, adolescence portrays

behavioral changes due to anxiety when they are entering the next stage in life. The

article also proves that women are more sensitive about their self-esteem weight and

body dissatisfaction. This significantly leads to a higher number of them suffering

from depression signs as compared to men. Depression also occurs earlier in women

than in men. Women are also easily affected by their weight and hence lead to

changing their eating habits so as to try to manage their weight. According to the

study, those who responded that they wanted to maintain their weight were also seen

to have body dissatisfaction because they would do anything to maintain that weight

(Hoare, 2014). High BMI ranges results to a low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction

which eventually leads to adolescence depression.

Therefore, it is evident that adolescence struggle with depression as they transit form

one life cycle to the next. This is because they want to fit in to what they peers

DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENCE

consider to be standard. Emotional stress is also experienced when the youths don’t

achieve the intended results after several trials of behavioral changes. This eventually

leads to depression symptoms among them.

DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENCE

References

Blessing, L. T., & Chakrabarti, A. (2009). DRM, a design research methodology.

Springer Science & Business Media.

Ferreiro, F., Seoane, G., & Senra, C. (2012). Gender-related risk and protective

factors for depressive symptoms and disordered eating in adolescence: A

4-year longitudinal study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(5), 607-622.

Hoare, E., Skouteris, H., Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz, M., Millar, L., & Allender, S. (2014).

Associations between obesogenic risk factors and depression among

adolescents: a systematic review. Obesity reviews, 15(1), 40-51.

Rawana, J. S., & Morgan, A. S. (2014). Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms from

Adolescence to Young Adulthood: The Role of Self-esteem and Body-Related

Predictors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(4), 597.

Roberts, R. E., & Duong, H. T. (2013). Perceived weight, not obesity, increases risk

for major depression among adolescents. Journal of psychiatric research, 47(8),

1110-1117.

Stice, E., & Bearman, S. K. (2010). Body-image and eating disturbances

prospectively predict increases in depressive symptoms in adolescent girls: a

growth curve analysis. Developmental psychology, 37(5), 597.

Tsukayama, E., Toomey, S. L., Faith, M. S., & Duckworth, A. L. (2010). Self-control

as a protective factor against overweight status in the transition from

childhood to adolescence. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent

medicine, 164(7), 631-635.

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Depression in adolescence

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