Multi-Wave Prospective Examination of the Stress-Reactivity Extension of Response Styles Theory of Depression in High-Risk Children and Early Adolescents

There are many factors that affect depression onset and expression in adolescents, specifically, how thought patterns and behavior change in response to negative life events. The study examined the effect of age, sex, and type of thought patterns on individuals’ depressive symptoms given a negative event. Regardless of age, passively and repetitively focusing on negative life events increased depressive symptoms in girls but not in boys.