Joseph R Cohen1, Jami F Young2, Brandon E Gibb3, Benjamin L Hankin4, John R Z Abela5. 1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, MSC 861, 2nd Fl. IOP South Building, Charleston, SC 29425, USA; Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, USA. Electronic address: cohej@musc.edu. 2. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, USA; Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, USA. 3. Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, USA. 4. Department of Psychology, University of Denver, USA. 5. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The present study sought to clarify the development of comorbid emotional distress by comparing different explanations for how youth develop anxiety and depressive symptoms. Specifically, we introduced the diathesis-anxiety approach (whether cognitive vulnerabilities interact with anxiety symptoms), and compared it to a causal model (anxiety symptoms predicting depressive symptoms), and a correlated liabilities model (whether cognitive vulnerabilities interacted with stressors to predict both anxiety and depressive symptoms) to examine which model best explained the relation between depressive and anxiety symptoms in youth. METHODS: 678 3rd (n=208), 6th (n=245), and 9th (n=225) grade girls (n=380) and boys (n=298) completed self-report measures at baseline assessing cognitive vulnerabilities (rumination and self-criticism), stressors, depressive and anxiety symptoms. Every 3 months over the next 18 months, youth completed follow-up measures of symptoms and stressors. RESULTS: While limited support was found for a causal (p>0.10) or correlated-liability model (p>0.05) for comorbidity, findings did support a diathesis-anxiety approach for both self-criticism (t(2494)=3.36, p<0.001) and rumination (t(2505)=2.40, p<0.05). LIMITATIONS: The present study׳s findings are based on self-report measure and makes inferences concerning comorbidity with a community sample. CONCLUSIONS: These results may help clarify past research concerning comorbidity by introducing a diathesis-anxiety approach as a viable model to understand which youth are most at-risk for developing comorbid emotional distress.
BACKGROUND: The present study sought to clarify the development of comorbid emotional distress by comparing different explanations for how youth develop anxiety and depressive symptoms. Specifically, we introduced the diathesis-anxiety approach (whether cognitive vulnerabilities interact with anxiety symptoms), and compared it to a causal model (anxiety symptoms predicting depressive symptoms), and a correlated liabilities model (whether cognitive vulnerabilities interacted with stressors to predict both anxiety and depressive symptoms) to examine which model best explained the relation between depressive and anxiety symptoms in youth. METHODS: 678 3rd (n=208), 6th (n=245), and 9th (n=225) grade girls (n=380) and boys (n=298) completed self-report measures at baseline assessing cognitive vulnerabilities (rumination and self-criticism), stressors, depressive and anxiety symptoms. Every 3 months over the next 18 months, youth completed follow-up measures of symptoms and stressors. RESULTS: While limited support was found for a causal (p>0.10) or correlated-liability model (p>0.05) for comorbidity, findings did support a diathesis-anxiety approach for both self-criticism (t(2494)=3.36, p<0.001) and rumination (t(2505)=2.40, p<0.05). LIMITATIONS: The present study׳s findings are based on self-report measure and makes inferences concerning comorbidity with a community sample. CONCLUSIONS: These results may help clarify past research concerning comorbidity by introducing a diathesis-anxiety approach as a viable model to understand which youth are most at-risk for developing comorbid emotional distress.
Authors: Daniel P Moriarity; Brae Anne McArthur; Lauren M Ellman; Christopher L Coe; Lyn Y Abramson; Lauren B Alloy Journal: J Youth Adolesc Date: 2018-08-07
Authors: Benjamin L Hankin; Hannah R Snyder; Lauren D Gulley; Tina H Schweizer; Patricia Bijttebier; Sabine Nelis; Gim Toh; Michael W Vasey Journal: Dev Psychopathol Date: 2016-11