Life events and major depression in a sample of inpatient children

This study reports on the relationship between stressful life events and depression in an inpatient sample of 100 children, age 7 to 12 years. Thirteen children were diagnosed as depressed on the basis of structured interviews. These subjects reported having more negative life events (both unit and weighted) as measured by the life Events Checklist (LEC) than did the remaining sample. They also had lower self-concepts, greater hopelessness, and higher scores on the withdrawal and depression subscales of the Personality Inventory for Children than the nondepressed inpatient group. The significance of these findings is discussed.