A Further Look at the Prognostic Power of Young Children's Reports of Depressed Mood and Feelings

• Published in: Child development Vol. 72; no. 3; pp. 736 - 747
• Main Authors: Ialongo, Nicholas S., Edelsohn, Gail, Kellam, Sheppard G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, USA and Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishers Inc 01.05.2001; Blackwell Publishers; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biobehavioral Development, Perception, and Action; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child clinical studies; Child development; Child health services; Child psychology; Child, Preschool; Childhood mental disorders; Children; Children & youth; Clinical psychology; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Depression - diagnosis; Depressive disorders; Developmental psychology; Early Adolescents; Emotional Disturbances; Emotional Experience; Emotional Problems; Emotional states; Emotions; Female; Grade point average; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Major depressive disorder; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Health; Mental health services; Mood; Mood disorders; Moods; Parents; Personality Assessment; Predictor Variables; Prognosis; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Self Disclosure; Selfreport; Suicide; Test Validity; Urban Population; Validity; Young children; Human; Mood disorder; Affect affectivity; Self evaluation; Use; Depression; Health service; Academic ability; School age; Mood; Follow up study; Adolescent; Psychopathology; Predictive factor; Suicide ideation; Child
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.1111/1467-8624.00312

A primary objective of the present study was to determine the validity of first graders' self-reports of depressed mood and feelings. To that end, the prognostic power of first grade self-reports of depressed mood and feelings was examined with respect to later psychopathology and adaptive functioning in a population of urban school children (N = 946). First grade self-reports of depressed mood predicted later child academic functioning, the need for and use of mental health services, suicidal ideation, and a diagnosis of major depressive disorder by age 14. The prognostic power of these early self-reports suggests that children as young as 5 or 6 years of age are capable of providing valid reports of depressed mood and feelings.