Childhood and adolescent predictors of major depression in the transition to adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: The identification of predictors of major depression in the transition to adulthood has direct application to prevention and intervention efforts designed to forestall depression in this high-risk period. The current study identified childhood and adolescent familial and behavioral-emotional factors predicting depression during this critical developmental stage. METHOD: The 354 participants were part of a single-age cohort from a predominately Caucasian working-class community whose psychosocial development has been traced prospectively since age 5. In these analyses, data collected during childhood and adolescence were related to diagnoses of major depression at ages 18-26. RESULTS: During the transition to adulthood, 82 participants (23.2%) experienced major depression. Bivariate indicators of later depression included a family history of depression or substance use disorders, family composition, and childhood family environments perceived as violent and lacking cohesiveness. Also significant were self- and mother-reported internalizing behaviors, as well as self-rated anxiety and depressive symptoms. Multivariable analyses showed family violence, family composition, internalizing problems during adolescence, and low family cohesion to be the most salient factors. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight familial and behavioral-emotional predictors of depression that can serve as foci for identifying youth in need of intervention.

Child and adolescent predictors for eating disorders in a community population of young adult women.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated early predictors for developing eating disorders by young adulthood in a community sample of women participating in a 22-year longitudinal study. METHOD: Twenty-one women were identified at age 27 with lifetime full or partial eating disorders. These women were compared with 47 women with no history of eating disorders on predictive factors from three broad domains. RESULTS: The women with eating disorders had more serious health problems before age 5 and mother-reported anxiety-depression at age 9. At 15, mothers described them as having more behavior problems. Before age 15, families of the eating disorder group had more histories of depression, eating problems and changes in family financial circumstances. DISCUSSION: This study identifies early predictors distinguishing girls who develop eating disorders. Findings point to the need for continued research in the area of early health to comprehensively examine the biologic, behavioral, and environmental risks for eating disorders.