| Recent epidemiological studies suggest that the rates of depressive disorders are increasing among Chinese adolescents, and are now comparable to Western samples of adolescents. An estimated 16-26 million of Mainland Chinese children and adolescents suffer from depression, prompting increased public concern. As societal and cultural changes play a profound role in the development of mental health problems in adolescence, researchers have recently begun to examine how such changes have influenced the etiology of depression amongst Chinese adolescents. However, given profound cultural, social, political, and economic differences, Western theoretical models of depression cannot automatically be extended to Chinese adolescents. At the same time, there are several reasons why Western theoretical models of depression may be relevant to Chinese youth, including: (1) an influx of individualistic values may challenge long-standing collectivistic values; (2) similar epidemiological increases in the prevalence of depression among adolescents have occurred across cultures; and (3) Chinese adolescents experience similar stressors to those of Western adolescents.;The purpose of the dissertation is to examine vulnerability factors to depression among Chinese adolescents within a stress generation framework using a multi-wave longitudinal design. The research described in Chapter 2 investigates the role that autonomy and stress play in the development of depressive symptoms. More specifically, the research examines whether dependent interpersonal stressors mediate the relationship between lower levels of perceived choice in one's actions or awareness of oneself, and subsequent increases in depressive symptoms. Additionally, we examine model specificity to better discriminate etiological risk factors for depression and anxiety, and the results of hierarchical linear modeling indicate that the relationship between lower levels of self-awareness and higher levels of depressive symptoms is mediated by a greater occurrence of dependent, but not independent, interpersonal stress. The results also indicate non-specificity. Overall, findings suggest that lack of autonomy in Chinese adolescents generates stress, and increases one's vulnerability to develop depressive and anxious symptoms. The research described in Chapter 3 examines underlying mechanisms that mediate the prospective relationship between self-concept clarity, stress, and depressive symptoms. Main effect analyses indicate that lower self-concept clarity predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms over time. Further, multilevel analyses reveal that stress mediates the relationship between self-concept clarity and subsequent depressive symptoms. At the same time, gender analyses indicate that the mediation effect may be driven by boys as opposed to girls indicating that there may be other pathways that contribute to depression among adolescent girls.;The research presented in the current dissertation has important implications. Results from Chapters 2 and 3 suggest the etiological models developed in Western contexts may be relevant to understanding psychopathology among Chinese youth. Such insight may, ultimately, provide insight about which vulnerability factors to target when developing prevention, intervention, and treatment programs for adolescents in mainland China. |
