As Eccles (1999) said, “Few developmental periods are characterised by so many changes at so many different levels as early adolescence”. While most young people negotiate this period of physical and psychological upheaval successfully, as many as one quarter of adolescents develop mental health difficulties that significantly affect their home, educational, and social lives, including prolonged feelings of sadness, irritability, and anhedonia (loss of pleasure) – symptoms of depression. Such symptoms are twice as common in girls, and as many as two thirds of adolescents with these symptoms go on to develop major depressive disorder (MDD) by their early 30s. Identifying features that differentiate individuals who are resilient to the challenges of adolescence from those who struggle is fundamental to efforts to better understand the causes of depression and to develop better interventions. High self-criticism is a key psychological risk factor for depression. On the other hand, close relationships can buffer adolescents against the effects of stress. Recent evidence also indicates that cognitive ability is an internal resource that can buffer against depressive symptoms. In this project, I will investigate whether perceived social support and cognitive ability moderate the relationship between self-criticism and depressive symptoms amongst adolescent females. That is, to what extent do close relationships or cognitive ability reduce the likelihood that individuals who are highly self-critical will exhibit depressive symptoms? Answering this question will help us understand the resilience factors that protect individuals against depression, and which may represent good targets for prevention and intervention efforts.
