Replications of a dual failure model for boys' depressed mood

A structural equation model for depressed mood was examined for three samples of boys (N = 317) from at-risk families. It was assumed that rejection by normal peers and academic failure were significant covariates for preadolescent boys' depressed mood. The model accounted for from 51% to 68% of the variance in the criterion construct. The confirmatory factor analyses showed an adequate fit of the measurement model to the data sets for each of the three samples. The hypothesized negative path coefficients from the good peer relations construct to the child depressed mood construct were significant for all three samples. The path from the academic skills construct to the child depressed mood construct, however, was highly variable and significant for only two of the samples. Multigroup comparisons were carried out to determine the degree to which the factor loadings and the structural relations between constructs were invariant across the three samples.