Scientific perspectives on childhood depression: A clinical and psychometric approach
Keywords:
Depressive symptoms, Childhood, Clinical psychology, Early interventionAbstract
Introduction: In recent years, the incidence of childhood depression has increased considerably and has frequently been linked to dysfunctional family environments. The purpose of this study was to analyze the possible relationship between dysfunction in the family environment and the presence of depressive symptoms in children between the ages of 8 and 12. Materials and methods: The research was conducted with a random, probabilistic sample of 326 schoolchildren from a primary school in a semi-urban setting with a low socioeconomic status in the State of Mexico. A modified version of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), developed by Kovacs (2004) and Kovacs and Beck (1977), was used to measure levels of childhood depression. Family functioning was assessed using the Holmes Social Readjustment Scale, administered to the children's parents. Results: The analysis revealed a statistically significant correlation between dysfunction in the family environment and childhood depression, with a significance level of 0.01. It was found that 34.1% of the families evaluated presented dysfunction, while 11.7% of the children showed signs of depression, with only 8.7% of these cases attributable to a dysfunctional family context. Conclusions: A significant relationship between family dysfunction and childhood depression was confirmed, with girls being more affected and children aged 8, 10, and 11 years of age having a higher prevalence.
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