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The Relationship Between Early Cognitive Development and Adolescent Depression

  • Author / Creator
    North, Constance Rebecca
  • Worldwide, depression is the leading cause of disability However, its etiology is not yet fully understood. The current research investigated the relationship between early cognitive development and adolescent depression. Two studies were conducted using data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study conducted by Statistics Canada since 1994/1995, the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The first study investigated whether impaired early cognitive development was related to adolescent symptoms of depression and anxiety. The second study investigated whether individuals with impaired early cognitive development were more likely to suffer from depressive and anxious symptoms after considering stressful life events in adolescence (using interaction models). Our results suggest that early cognitive development may be related to the development of depression and anxiety in adolescence. However, no interaction was found between impaired early cognitive development and stressful life events. These results suggest that cognitive deficits may precede the onset of adolescent depression.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Fall 2011
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Master of Science
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/R3H910
  • License
    This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.