Prevalence and correlates of self-reported depressive mood among seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents.

Abstract

This study examined self-reported depression on the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale among 45 seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents. Scores of one-third of the sample exceeded the cut-off score, which indicated the need for further diagnostic study to assess the possible presence of depression. Significant positive correlations included an association with school attendance, a relationship with scores on the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and an association with teachers' ratings on two subscales of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Also, the Depression scale's negative association with the Lie subscale of the Manifest Anxiety Scale is interpreted as indicative of seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents' response style on self-reported measures of depression.