Adolescent depression: relationships of self-report to intellectual and adaptive functioning

Self-report measures of depression, general psychopathology, and social skills were administered to adolescents ranging from moderate mental retardation to above normal intelligence. Adolescents with mental retardation reported more depression and general psychopathology symptoms. Variance and regression analyses demonstrated distinctions on the basis of mental retardation status for individual measures. Additional analyses identified differences between individuals with above normal intelligence and individuals with mild mental retardation on the basis of depression specifically. Adaptive behavior functioned as a moderator variable, mediating the relationship between depression and intellectual functioning.