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Different Stressors, Different Strategies, Different Outcomes: How Domain-Specific Stress Responses Differentially Predict Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents

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Abstract

As a time of notably increased stress and a marked rise in depressive symptoms, adolescence is a key period in which to examine how stress is related to mental health outcomes. Many studies examine stress as a unitary construct; however, research suggests that how adolescents respond to stress within different domains may differentially predict depression. The current study used an 8-week weekly diary design to assess how adolescents’ cognitive appraisals, rumination, and co-rumination in response to dependent, independent, social, and nonsocial stressors differentially predicted depressive symptoms. Participants were 111 high school students (72 % female) ages 14–19 years (mean age 16.4). Results indicated that rumination and co-rumination about dependent and social events, rather than independent or nonsocial events, prospectively predicted depressive symptoms. Negative cognitive appraisals prospectively predicted depressive symptoms regardless of domain. This study provides support for the hypothesis that adolescents’ responses to stress in different domains differentially predict depressive symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

KN participated in study coordination and data analyses, and drafted the manuscript; TL also participated in study coordination and data analyses, constructed tables for the manuscript, and edited the manuscript. AM conceived of the study, participated in its design, and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, 98119, USA

    Katey A. Nicolai, Tyler Laney & Amy H. Mezulis

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  1. Katey A. Nicolai
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  2. Tyler Laney
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  3. Amy H. Mezulis
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Correspondence to Katey A. Nicolai.

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Nicolai, K.A., Laney, T. & Mezulis, A.H. Different Stressors, Different Strategies, Different Outcomes: How Domain-Specific Stress Responses Differentially Predict Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 42, 1183–1193 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9866-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9866-4

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