Perren, Sonja; Alsaker, Françoise (2009). Depressive symptoms from kindergarten to early school age: longitudinal associations with social skills deficits and peer victimization. Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 3(1), p. 28. London: BioMed Central 10.1186/1753-2000-3-28
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BACKGROUND:
Depressive symptoms in children are associated with social skills deficits and problems with peers. We propose a model which suggests different mechanisms for the impact of deficits in self-oriented social skills (assertiveness and social participation) and other-oriented social skills (pro-social, cooperative and non-aggressive behaviors) on children's depressive symptoms. We hypothesized that deficits in self-oriented social skills have a direct impact on children's depressive symptoms because these children have non-rewarding interactions with peers, whereas the impact of deficits in other-oriented social skills on depressive symptoms is mediated through negative reactions from peers such as peer victimization.
METHOD:
378 kindergarten children (163 girls) participated at two assessments (Age at T1: M = 5.8, T2: M = 7.4). Teachers completed questionnaires on children's social skills at T1. Teacher reports on peer victimization and depressive symptoms were assessed at both assessment points.
RESULTS:
Our study partially confirmed the suggested conceptual model. Deficits in self-oriented social skills significantly predicted depressive symptoms, whereas deficits in other-oriented social skills were more strongly associated with peer victimization. Longitudinal associations between other-oriented social skills and depressive symptoms were mediated through peer victimization.
CONCLUSION:
The study emphasizes the role of deficits in self-oriented social skills and peer victimization for the development of internalizing disorders.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
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Division/Institute: |
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Developmental Psychology |
UniBE Contributor: |
Alsaker, Françoise |
Subjects: |
100 Philosophy > 150 Psychology |
ISSN: |
1753-2000 |
Publisher: |
BioMed Central |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Factscience Import |
Date Deposited: |
04 Oct 2013 15:17 |
Last Modified: |
05 Dec 2022 14:23 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1186/1753-2000-3-28 |
PubMed ID: |
19772574 |
BORIS DOI: |
10.7892/boris.34083 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/34083 (FactScience: 199973) |
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