How Observed Personality Traits in (Mildly) Depressed Adolescents Relate to Nonverbal Responses of Peers.

Depression in adolescence is related to negative social responses. Previous studies indicate that negative responses precede, co-occur and follow depressive episodes, indicating that more stable characteristics of depressed(to-be) adolescents may trigger such responses. This study examines whether personality traits, as observed in behavior, mediate or moderate responses of peers towards (mildly) depressed adolescents.

Does Less Optimal Nonverbal Communication with Peers Predict the Development of Depression in Adolescent Boys and Girls?

A Social Skills Deficit Model for depression in adolescence was tested, proposing that less optimal nonverbal behavior elicits negative reactions in peer partners, which in turn result in depressive symptoms. Adolescents (12-17 years of age) participated in videotaped same-sex interactions. Several positive and negative nonverbal behaviors were coded.

Age and gender differences in depression across adolescence: real or 'bias'?

Background: Since developmental psychologists are interested in explaining age and gender differences in depression across adolescence, it is important to investigate to what extent these observed differences can be attributed to measurement bias. Measurement bias may arise when the phenomenology of depression varies with age or gender, i.e.

Gender-specific development of nonverbal behaviours and mild depression in adolescence.

Background: Individual differences in depressive symptoms have been linked with social skill deficits in adults and children, yet empirical studies on adolescents are lacking. The present research examines age and gender differences in nonverbal behaviour between mildly depressed and nondepressed (pre-) adolescents during conversations with an adult (study 1) and a same-aged peer (study 2). Both studies also examine whether conversation partners respond differently to mildly depressed versus nondepressed (pre)adolescents.

Effects of maintaining and redirecting infant attention on the production of referential communication in infants with and without Down syndrome.

The effects of maternal interactive styles on the production of referential communication were assessed in four groups of infants whose chronological ages ranged between 0;6 and 1;8. Two groups of infants with Down syndrome (DS), one (n = 11) with a mean mental age (MA) of 0;8.6, and the other (n = 11) of 1;4.