A Primer on Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling: the Case of Depression.

In this paper, we show how the methods of systematic reviewing and meta-analysis can be used in conjunction with structural equation modeling to summarize the results of studies in a way that will facilitate the theory development and testing needed to advance prevention science. We begin with a high-level overview of the considerations that researchers need to address when using meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) and then discuss a research project that brings together theoretically important cognitive constructs related to depression to (a) show how these constructs are related, (b) test the direct and indirect effects of dysfunctional attitudes on depression, and (c) test the effects of study-level moderating variables. Our results suggest that the indirect effect of dysfunctional attitudes (via negative automatic thinking) on depression is two and a half times larger than the direct effect of dysfunctional attitudes on depression. Of the three study-level moderators tested, only sample recruitment method (clinical vs general vs mixed) yielded different patterns of results. The primary difference observed was that the dysfunctional attitudes → automatic thoughts path was less strong for clinical samples than it was for general and mixed samples. These results illustrate how MASEM can be used to compare theoretically derived models and predictions resulting in a richer understanding of both the empirical results and the theories underlying them.

Similarities and Differences in the Architecture of Cognitive Vulnerability to Depressive Symptoms in Black and White American Adolescents: A Network Analysis Study.

The hopelessness theory, Beck's cognitive theory, and the response styles theory dominate our understanding and the treatment of depression in adolescents. However, research supporting them is largely based on White individuals. Further, the associations between stressors, cognitive vulnerabilities, and depressive symptoms in Black adolescents are not as one would expect based on the predictions from those theories. Both raise the question of if and to what degree these theories and previous findings can be generalized to Black adolescents. Additionally, without a theoretical basis, clinicians regularly use interventions developed based on one theory to influence vulnerabilities described in another theory. Thus, the purpose of our study was to examine the structure of an integrated cognitive stress-vulnerability model as well as the strengths of associations between stressors, cognitive vulnerabilities, and depressive symptoms in Black and White adolescents. In our study, 295 Black (37% female) and 213 White (49% female) ninth-grade students from a public high school participated. Network analyses demonstrated that the three original cognitive theories of depression can and should be integrated and that each variable we examined is comparably relevant for Black and White adolescents. At the same time, the structure of the two integrated networks differed significantly among Black and White adolescents, exhibiting specific distinctions at four edge levels. Furthermore, the predictability of the network is notably lower for Black adolescents than for White adolescents. Important theoretical and clinical implications can be derived.

Comprehensive Prevention: An Evaluation of Peripheral Outcomes of a School-based Prevention Program.

By age 18, 22-27% of adolescents have experienced depressive symptoms increasing their risk of peripheral mental health and social issues. Despite the development of effective depression prevention programs, issues related to dissemination persist. This study aims to identify ways of increasing the likelihood of dissemination by a) investigating how prevention effects differ based on the professional background of the prevention program group leader and b) evaluating adolescent depression prevention in terms of comprehensive prevention - prevention with the breadth to reduce peripheral mental health and social issues. This cluster-randomized trial included 646 eighth-grade students recruited from German secondary schools. Adolescents were randomized into three conditions: teacher-led prevention, psychologist-led prevention, or school-as-usual. Results from hierarchical linear models reveal differences in effects based on implementation type and adolescent gender and provide preliminary evidence for a wider reach of depression prevention such that, regardless of implementation type or gender, the tested program was effective in reducing hyperactivity over time. Taken together, our findings warrant further research and suggest that depression prevention programs may have an effect on some peripheral outcomes, but not others, and that these effects may differ based on the profession of the group leader and adolescent gender. With continued empirical research investigating the efficaciousness of comprehensive prevention, this type of prevention has the potential to impact a larger proportion of the population and improve the cost-benefit ratio of prevention, thus increasing the likelihood of dissemination.