1/19/18 · Research

A quarter of all 14-year-old girls suffer symptoms of depression

Parents' background is a risk factor and experts ask to work on prevention
Photo: <a target="_blank" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/RE7rjVjjJuM">Unsplash/Olaia Irigoien</a>

One in four 14-year-old teenage girls exhibit symptoms of depression, with 10% of boys also affected. This is what a study conducted by the University of Liverpool and the UCL Institute of Education in the United Kingdom, which examined data on ten thousand children born between 2000 and the 2001, has shown. Another UCL study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, concludes that the psychological background of both parents – father and mother – corresponds to a risk factor, identifying a need for early intervention within the family framework: "Being aware of the risk factors at the onset of adolescence is key to preventing depression over the course of a lifetime".


Paternal background as a risk factor

Scientific literature has often worked on the premise of the mother figure being more decisive than the father in terms of mental pathologies, such as depression, among other reasons because the mother was presumed to be the parent that spent most time with the children. The research published in The Lancet Psychiatry is based on a study that samples 6,000 families in Ireland and 8,000 in the United Kingdom. The families – with data collected on parents and their children at the ages of 7, 9, 13 and 14 – completed questionnaires about their feelings, which were measured against a depression scale. “The scientific evidence shows us that both fathers and mothers have a fundamental and influential effect on their children, and not just the latter", points out doctoral degree holder in Clinical Psychology and UOC Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences professor Amalia Gordóvil.

Gordóvil, who works as a child and family psychotherapist at the Centre GRAT, recommends that parents suffering from depression should seek the help of professionals and that their children also be monitored: “The way in which children relate to the world is determined to a large extent by what they see at home. A father and a mother transmit thousands of messages to their children, not only through what they say, but also through the way in which they tackle the demands of everyday life and express self-esteem and love for others”. It is, therefore, vital for parents and teenagers to have the opportunity to express their concerns in order to identify and access specialist support.


Female vulnerability

Early symptoms of depression begin from the age of 13, coinciding with the start of adolescence. The University of Liverpool study, which analysed information for 10,000 individuals, identified girls as the most vulnerable group. Other risk factors include being from a poorer background and, in the case of the UK, belonging to an ethnic minority.

As the study indicates, girls are most at risk of experiencing depressive episodes. According to the UOC professor, “Social analysis provides the answers”, going on to point out that women are required to "be beautiful, attractive, glamorous, professional, good mothers, etc, and teenagers wake up and find themselves in the midst of all that, surrounded by contradictions: required to live up to expectations but not emotionally prepared to process them. That is when the first symptoms of anxiety or sadness begin”.

Emotional instability is characteristic of adolescence and is usually overcome when the person matures and acquires the appropriate coping mechanisms. Even so, Gordóvil recommends monitoring the development of each individual child, particularly where there are potential risk factors in play, such as dealing with a stressful experience or having close relatives who have been diagnosed with disorders.

The study also notes that most parents are not aware of the seriousness of the situation. Signs such as withdrawal from friends, sadness, mood swings, irritability and alterations in sleeping or eating habits are symptoms parents can look out for. Gordóvil also suggests speaking to teachers to get an idea about how they are coping at school, as well as stressing the importance of talking to the child in question and making sure they know you are there if they want to ask for help: "It is essential for parents to convey the message that they are there for the child and to establish healthy lines of communication". That said, being overprotective and freeing them from responsibility only aggravates the problem. Psychotherapy is the best route to go down in terms of therapy; preferably with methods that focus on working with families, such as the systemic family approach.

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