Social Skills, Support Play Role in Adolescent Depression

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FROM THE JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE

Alow level of social skills in early adolescence predicts depression in both girls and boys during later adolescence, and a lack of friend support in middle adolescence mediates this relationship for girls but not for boys, according to findings from a longitudinal population-based study.

The findings underscore a need for social skills training, in programs aimed at preventing the development of depression in both sexes, and for training for girls on how to cope with interpersonal difficulties, Wendy Nilsen, Ph.D., of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, and her colleagues reported.

The investigators studied 566 …