Competence and memory: integrating psychosocial and cognitive correlates of child depression

Positive and negative peer nominations of multiple competencies and incidental recall of positive and negative self-referential adjectives were measured in relatively depressed and nondepressed fourth-, sixth-, and eighth-grade children (9 to 15 years old). Positive and negative peer evaluations related significantly to children's ability to recall positive and negative self-referential information (respectively), even after controlling for concurrent depressive symptoms. Positive and negative peer evaluations also related strongly to children's self-reported depressive symptoms. Incidental recall of positive and negative information significantly related to self-reported depression. In fact, the relation between recall of negative information and depression significantly increased in the eighth grade. Finally, preliminary support emerged that cognitive processes related to the incidental recall of negative self-descriptive information may mediate the relation between peer evaluations and depression. Implications for further research into the social determinants of cognitive processes and into the social and cognitive determinants of depression are discussed.