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Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Peer Dynamics: Distorted Perceptions in Liking and Disliking Networks
Diego Palacios1,2,3,4, Silvia Caldaroni5, Christian Berger6
1Society and Health Research Center, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Artes, Universidad Mayor, Santiago 7510041, Chile.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 27, 2024
Summary
Adolescents with depressive symptoms tend to misperceive peer interactions, sending fewer liking and more disliking nominations. Their peers, however, do not reciprocate these perceptions, suggesting a distortion in how depressed teens view social ties.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Developmental Science
Background:
- Adolescent depression is linked to negative life outcomes, yet their perception of peer interactions remains understudied.
- The depression-distortion model posits that depressed individuals inaccurately perceive social relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how adolescents with depressive symptoms perceive their peer interactions.
- To test the depression-distortion model in the context of adolescent social networks.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal social network analysis using stochastic actor-oriented models.
- Data collected from 275 Italian secondary school students (mean age 11.80).
- Adolescents nominated liked and disliked classmates; network effects and covariates were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Adolescents with depressive symptoms sent fewer liking nominations.
- Adolescents with depressive symptoms sent more disliking nominations compared to non-depressed peers.
- Peers did not perceive depressed adolescents as less liked or more disliked.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the depression-distortion model in adolescent peer relationships.
- Depressed adolescents may overestimate negative social interactions and underestimate positive ones.
- Perceptual distortions, not actual peer reception, characterize social interactions of depressed teens.
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