Abstract
Background
Several studies have investigated the association between cognitive behavioral characteristics and depressive symptoms; however, only a few have examined the longitudinal changes in this association, particularly in children. The current study evaluated the bidirectional relationships among negative/positive automatic thoughts, social skills, and depressive symptoms in children over a two-year period.
Methods
Elementary School children (N = 433; 50% female; age range 7–11) were assessed at six time-points over two years. They completed self-report measures assessing depressive symptoms, automatic thoughts, and social skills. Random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling (RI-CLPM) and cross-lagged panel modelling (CLPM) estimated associations between automatic thoughts, social skills, and depressive symptoms.
Results
The comprehensive RI-CLPM that included depressive symptoms, automatic thoughts, and social skills exhibited excellent model fit indices. A significant association was identified between longitudinal changes in negative/positive automatic thoughts and depressive symptoms. In particular, the results suggested a bidirectional, withinperson relationship between negative/positive automatic thoughts and depressive symptoms over time.
Conclusions
Perceived automatic thoughts longitudinally predict children’s depressive symptoms. The study identified within-person factors in depressive symptoms that contribute to longitudinal changes in negative and positive automatic thoughts.
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Data Availability
The dataset for this research is not publicly available and cannot be passed on to a third party outside the research project. The dataset includes sensitive personal information. We do not have the consent of the ethics committee or our participants to grant access to the collected data.
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Takahashi, T., Takebayashi, Y., Matsubara, K. et al. Two-Year Longitudinal Study of Children’s Cognitive Behavioral Characteristics Associated with Depressive Symptoms. Cogn Ther Res 46, 1049–1061 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-022-10326-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-022-10326-9