Links between friendship relations and early adolescents' trajectories of depressed mood

The present study examined to what extent different types of friendship experiences (i.e., friendlessness, having depressed friends, and having nondepressed friends) are associated with early adolescents' longitudinal trajectories of depressed mood. On the basis of a sample of 201 youths (108 girls, 93 boys), we identified 3 distinct longitudinal profiles of depressed mood from Grade 5 (age 11) through Grade 7 (age 13): one group with consistently low levels of depressed mood, another group showing a sharp increase in depressed mood from late childhood through early adolescence, and a 3rd group with consistently high levels of depressed mood from late childhood through early adolescence. Subsequent analyses revealed that, compared to friendless youths, youths with nondepressed friends showed less elevated trajectories of depressed mood, whereas youths with depressed friends showed more elevated trajectories. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.