Depressive Symptom Increases May Continue From Adolescence Into Young Adulthood
Increases in depressive symptoms during adolescence can persist into young adulthood, according to recent cohort study results published in JAMA Network Open.
“There was significant persistence in depressive symptoms from ages 18 years to 21 to 22 years, with the recent birth cohort reporting the most stable elevated symptoms across age compared with previous birth cohorts,” noted lead author Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, Columbia University, New York, and co-authors. “Given this persistence, reducing the onset of depressive symptoms through primary prevention and mental health resources during the adolescent years is critical.”
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Researchers analyzed data from the Monitoring the Future survey from 1990 to 2019, including birth cohorts from 1972 to 2001. Participants were recruited from US high schools starting in 12th grade and were 18 years old at baseline. Participants continued through to ages 21 or 22 years during mail and web follow-up. Data analysis was conducted from April to October 2023. Researchers used participant surveys to determine depressive symptoms scores.
A total of 36,552 participants were included, 50.5% of which were female. Of female participants, 19.1% of the most recent birth cohort (born from 1997 to 2001) had high depressive symptoms at age 18 years, higher than any other cohort. Among males in the same birth cohort, 13.4% had high depressive symptoms at 18 years and prevalence continued to increase through young adulthood.
“Population attributable fractions indicated that the total proportion of young adult symptoms associated with depressive symptoms at age 18 years among females has increased; in the most recent birth cohort, 55.25% (95% CI, 38.11%-65.13%) of depressive symptoms at age 21 to 22 years were associated with symptoms at age 18 years,” authors reported.
Researchers noted the study has a few limitations that may have affected results. These limitations include the reliance on self-reported depressive symptoms, which may not accurately reflect clinical depression, and the inability to distinguish true changes from changes in willingness to report symptoms. Additionally, the study faced challenges such as attrition and lack of data on adolescents not in school, potentially leading to conservative estimates.