Abstract
This study examined the ways in which normal, depressed, and conduct-disordered adolescents differ with regard to self-image. Normal and psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents completed the Offer Self Image Questionnaire for Adolescents (OSIQ). Patients were grouped on the basis of their DSM-III diagnoses, and their OSIQ scores were compared. Major depressive disorder, particularly the first episode, was associated with poor self-evaluation in multiple areas, while conduct disorder was associated with almost no specific self-image deficits. For younger (12- to 15-year-old) adolescents, a repeated episode of depression was associated with a poorer selfimage than was a diagnosis of dysthymic disorder or a typical depression, but a better self-image than a single episode of depression, suggesting that at this age, repeated episodes are met with internal adaptation rather than continued self-devaluation. Adolescents who received a diagnosis of both conduct disorder and major depression reported an overall level of self-image disturbance between those with either of these disorders alone, suggesting that acting-out behaviors may attenuate the self-devaluing experience of depression. Results are discussed in terms of current issues in adolescent development and developmental psychopathology.
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Koenig, L.J. Self-image of emotionally disturbed adolescents. J Abnorm Child Psychol 16, 111–126 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00910505
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00910505