[Psychosocial determination of depressive symptoms in adolescence: sex differences]

In a longitudinal study over four years, the links between psychosocial factors of the social network and depressive symptomatology were analysed in 107 adolescents. Separate regression analysis for each gender revealed different factors contributing to female and male depression in late adolescence. While females' psychological well-being seems to depend on psychosocial characteristics of their social world, which may serve as protective factors, male depression is primarily determined by former depression, whereas social factors serve as stressors.