Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Clinical Psychology
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent in and impairing for children and adolescents and are highly comorbid. Many theories have been proposed to explain this co- occurrence, with recent models postulating multiple pathways in which specific anxiety disorders and depression may co-occur both concurrently and over time. Unfortunately, little research has evaluated these pathways longitudinally across development in a community sample. The current study tested the multiple pathway model in a sample of 9 to 12-year-old youth (Mage = 9.48, SD= 0.51) at baseline and at two-year follow-up using a subsample of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study database. Data were analyzed by running a latent transition analysis on social anxiety (SocAd), generalized anxiety (GAD), and major depressive (MDD) symptoms on the KSADS-PL, with specific measures of temperament entered as covariates. Results revealed three latent classes at each time characterized by: 1) high SocAd symptoms, 2) high GAD symptoms, and 3) low symptom endorsement. Latent transition analyses found substantial movement between classes over time, with the majority of individuals staying in or moving to the low symptom endorsement class. Behavior inhibition and activation also significantly influenced class membership and movement such that higher levels of behavior inhibition influenced who moved to the SocAd or GAD classes at two-year follow-up, and drive ratings influenced who moved from the SocAd class at baseline to the low symptom endorsement class. Therefore, while transdiagnostic treatments may not be as necessary for treating comorbid anxiety and depression in childhood, treatments that focus on key transdiagnostic symptoms and underlying temperamental and affective components of this symptomology may prevent future comorbidity.
Date
7-16-2024
Recommended Citation
Picou, Paige, "EXAMINING SOCIAL ANXIETY, GENERALIZED ANXIETY, AND MAJOR DEPRESSION’S SYMPTOM COMORBIDITY IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A LONGINTUDINAL TEST OF THE MULTIPLE PATHWAY MODEL" (2024). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6567.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6567
Committee Chair
Paul J. Frick