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Correlates of Depressive Disorders in the Quebec General Population 6 to 14 Years of Age

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Abstract

There are relatively few community-based epidemiological studies in which correlates of depressive disorders were identified through multivariate analyses in children and adolescents aged 6--14 years. Moreover, several family characteristics (e.g., parent-child relationship) have never been explored in this regard. The purpose of this study was twofold. Using data from the Quebec Child Mental Health Survey, it sought: (1) to identify psychosocial correlates associated with depressive disorder in two age-groups (6--11 and 12-14 years) according to informant (child/adolescent, parent); and (2) to interpret the relative importance of correlates by ranking variables according to strength and consistency of association across age-groups. Logistic regression models show correlates to be inconsistent across informants. The ranking of correlates indicates a major contribution of only-child status/ordinal position, parent's major depressive disorder, stressful family events, and parent-child relationship, thereby supporting the hypothesis of the relevance of family context in the development of depression.

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Acknowledgments

The QCMHS was funded by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services and was conducted with the collaboration of Santé Québec. In the present study, statistical analyses were supported by a grant from the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Rivière-des-Prairies Hospital, Fernand-Seguin Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, 7070 Perras Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H1E 1A4

    Lise Bergeron, Jean-Pierre Valla, Nicole Smolla, Claude Berthiaume & Marie St.-Georges

  2. Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Lise Bergeron & Geneviève Piché

  3. Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Nicole Smolla

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  1. Lise Bergeron
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  2. Jean-Pierre Valla
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  3. Nicole Smolla
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  4. Geneviève Piché
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  5. Claude Berthiaume
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  6. Marie St.-Georges
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Correspondence to Lise Bergeron.

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Bergeron, L., Valla, JP., Smolla, N. et al. Correlates of Depressive Disorders in the Quebec General Population 6 to 14 Years of Age. J Abnorm Child Psychol 35, 459–474 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9103-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9103-x

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