title: Cognitive vulnerability to depressive symptoms in children: the protective role of self-efficacy beliefs in a multi-wave longitudinal study.
abstract: The current multi-wave longitudinal study on childhood examined the role that social and academic self-efficacy beliefs and cognitive vulnerabilities play in predicting depressive symptoms in response to elevations in idiographic stressors. Children (N = 554; males: 51.4 %) attending second and third grade completed measures of depressive symptoms, negative cognitive styles, negative life events, and academic and social self-efficacy beliefs at four time-points over 6 months. Results showed that high levels of academic and social self-efficacy beliefs predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms, whereas negative cognitive styles about consequences predicted higher depression. Furthermore, children reporting higher social self-efficacy beliefs showed a smaller elevation in levels of depressive symptoms when reporting an increases in stress than children with lower social self-efficacy beliefs. Findings point to the role of multiple factors in predicting children's depression in the long term and commend the promotion of self-efficacy beliefs and the modification of cognitive dysfunctional styles as relevant protective factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milano, Italy, patrizia.steca@unimib.it.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Steca
authors.forename: J R Z
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Abela
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monzani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hazel
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Hankin
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007558:Italy; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology