Depression and cognition in adolescents: A comparison of cross-sectional and longitudinal effects

Emerging evidence suggests that adolescents with depression may experience cognitive dysfunction. However, studies are primarily cross-sectional and few in number. This study examines the temporal association of depression and cognitive function among participants of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

Participants were recruited from the community and completed self-report of depressive symptoms and semi-structured psychiatric diagnostic interview. Cognitive function was examined using validated, reliable measures across five domains (working memory, long-term memory, attention, executive function, and language), over three time points (baseline, year 2, and year 4). The relationship between depression and cognitive domain was examined using multiple linear regression for cross-sectional associations and random intercept cross-lagged panel models for longitudinal associations, controlling for covariates.

Participants (n = 10,552) had a mean age of 9.9 ± 0.6 years, and 48% were female. Cross-sectionally, depressive symptoms were inversely associated with working memory, long-term memory, attention, and executive function at baseline (all βs - 0.02 to -0.03). Higher depressive symptoms at baseline predicted lower attention at year 2 (β = -0.82). Lower attention at year 2 predicted higher depressive symptoms at year 4 (β = -0.94). No significant long-term effects were found between depressive symptoms and working memory, long-term memory, or executive function.

Cross-sectional associations between depression and cognition were not replicated in longitudinal analyses, with the exception of inattention, in which reciprocal associations over time were found. Longitudinal research in clinical settings is needed to better understand the impact of adolescence depression on attention and related social and educational outcomes.