Life stress and depressed mood among adolescents: Examining a cognitive-affective mediation model

This study looked at the relations between life stress, self-concept clarity, self-esteem, and depressed mood in a sample of 268 high-school students. A model in which self-concept clarity and self-esteem mediated the association between life stress and dysphoria was examined. Consistent with the model, results of conducting a path analysis indicated that the association between life stress and depressed mood was mediated by self-concept clarity and self-esteem. In addition, results indicated that self-esteem was the strongest predictor of dysphoria. Life stress also was found to be a significant predictor of depressed mood even after controlling for the influences of clarity of self-concept and self-esteem. Implications of these findings for future research and for working with distressed adolescents are discussed.