Linking identity and depressive symptoms across adolescence: A multisample longitudinal study testing within-person...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Adolescent Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Understanding the interplay between identity development and mental health is crucial during adolescence.
• Two models, the vulnerability and scar models, offer competing explanations for the relationship between identity processes and depressive symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the directionality of effects between identity exploration/commitment and depressive symptoms in adolescents.
• To compare the predictive power of the vulnerability model (identity influencing depression) versus the scar model (depression influencing identity).

Main Methods:

• A multisample longitudinal study employing the random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM).
• Study 1: 497 adolescents over five annual waves; Study 2: 1,022 adolescents over four annual waves.
• Analysis focused on within-person reciprocal associations between identity processes and depressive symptoms.

Main Results:

• Findings supported the vulnerability model, indicating identity processes predict depressive symptoms.
• Increased reconsideration of commitment (Study 1) and ruminative exploration (Study 2) predicted higher depressive symptoms a year later.
• Depressive symptoms did not predict subsequent identity uncertainty or exploration at the within-person level.

Conclusions:

• Maladaptive identity exploration processes are significant contributors to the development of depressive symptoms in adolescents.
• The findings highlight the importance of addressing identity formation challenges to mitigate depression risk.
• Identity uncertainty does not appear to be a consequence of depressive symptoms in this age group.