The Relationship Between Early Cognitive Development and Adolescent Depression

Abstract

Worldwide, depression is the leading cause of disability However, its etiology is not yet fully understood. The current research investigated the relationship between early cognitive development and adolescent depression. Two studies were conducted using data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study conducted by Statistics Canada since 1994/1995, the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The first study investigated whether impaired early cognitive development was related to adolescent symptoms of depression and anxiety. The second study investigated whether individuals with impaired early cognitive development were more likely to suffer from depressive and anxious symptoms after considering stressful life events in adolescence (using interaction models). Our results suggest that early cognitive development may be related to the development of depression and anxiety in adolescence. However, no interaction was found between impaired early cognitive development and stressful life events. These results suggest that cognitive deficits may precede the onset of adolescent depression.