A network analysis of psychosocial risk factors and depression in adolescence

Risk factors associated with depression have been studied extensively, however they have usually been studied in isolation, limiting our ability to infer how the factors themselves interact and contribute to the presentation of depression, or specific depressive symptoms. In the current study, we used network analysis to explore the relationships between different psychosocial risk factors and depression across adolescence, a period characterised by marked social, psychological and physiological change. Using data collected from adolescents aged 11-18 years (n = 202), we estimated two networks - one focusing on depression severity and the other on individual core symptoms of depression (low mood and anhedonia) - and investigated the features of the networks, including the associations relating to depression, changes to network structure across adolescence and the centrality of different risk factors. Emotion regulation difficulties and perceived stress were among the most central in the network and showed some of the strongest associations with both depression severity and presence of individual core symptoms. The network structure was largely stable across adolescence but the quality of school environment and depression severity did become more strongly related with increasing age. Our findings underscore the importance of the school environment as well as emotion regulation and stress management skills in adolescence.