long-term effects of depression during teenage years

12:35:56

2023-06-18

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A recent study warns of the long-term effects of depression during teenage years

The results of a study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, revealed that depression during adolescence has long-term effects and leads to decreased cognitive performance in later years, according to a report by Psypost.

Important stage

Adolescence is an important and formative period, as children go through significant social and cognitive development, and although depression can be difficult and debilitating at any age, evidence has shown that young adults are more likely to suffer long-term negative effects on the mind and cognition, and even permeate In all aspects of an adolescent's life, including social and psychosocial disabilities.

Chinese family panel

In the study, titled "The Relationship Between Adolescent Depression State and Cognitive Performance Over the Following Six Years," a team of researchers from China, led by Xu Wang, used data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies, a longitudinal study that collects data every two years. University of China Medicine, specifically on data from four waves: 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Common variables

In 2012, participants completed tests of depression status, including the immediate and delayed recall test, and numerical reasoning in the 2012 and 2016 waves, while vocabulary and arithmetic were assessed in the 2014 and 2018 waves. Covariates tested included age, gender, educational level, parental age, and parental employment status parents' educational level, family size, household income, and distribution of urban and rural households.

Executive performance and visual memory

The results showed that having depression in the first wave was associated with a decline in cognitive performance over the next six years on a myriad of tests including number series, immediate and delayed word recall, vocabulary, and math tests. The results are consistent with previous research indicating that depression causes bias in information processing. It impairs executive performance and visual memory.

Better understanding and clear evidence

The study represents an important step towards a better understanding of the relationship between depression and cognitive functioning, and the researchers concluded, “This population-based longitudinal study not only confirmed a strong and recurring association between adolescent depression and cognitive functioning, but also demonstrated that depressive symptoms in individuals during adolescence were associated with level of cognitive performance over the subsequent six years.

The results provide evidence for understanding the relationship between depression and long-term cognition in adolescents, and emphasize "the importance of focusing on cognitive impairment in patients with depression, especially during adolescence."