The importance of stress coping strategies for the maintenance of a depressive disorder in female adolescents

This study investigated which stress coping strategies characterize depressed female adolescents and which of these strategies predict the maintenance of depression. At two measurement points with a time interval of six months, 148 female adolescents were assessed. At first measurement 74 girls fulfilled DSM IV criteria for major depression. The Depressionsinventar (Depression Inventory) and the Stressverarbeitungsfragebogen fur Kinder und Jugendliche (Coping with Stress Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents) were used. A cross-sectional comparison showed that patients prefer destructive coping. Linear regression to predict depression yields an additional effect for the coping strategy "situation control," controlling for initial depression. The results confirm the stability of a existing depressive disorder, but also point to the potential of stress coping strategies to be slightly predictive.