Internalizing
and Externalizing Problems Among Young Adults Who Had Depressive
or Drug Disorders in Adolescence
In a long-term
longitudinal study of psychopathology from age 5 to 21, Giaconia
et al. (2001) tested age 21 outcomes for participants who had
been diagnosed as having major depression or drug disorders
at age 18. Most no longer met diagnostic criteria for the same
disorders at age 21. However, those who had met diagnostic criteria
for either type of disorder at age 18 had significantly higher
Young Adult Self-Report (YASR) Externalizing scores than the
other study participants at age 21. It may seem surprising that
not only drug disorders but also depressive disorders were followed
by high Externalizing scores. However, Giaconia et al. cited
other studies that have likewise found links between depression
and Externalizing problems. In addition to the higher YASR Externalizing
scores found for the two diagnostic groups, both the YASR and
the Young Adult Behavior Checklist (YABCL) completed by the
participants' mothers showed significantly higher age 21 Internalizing
scores for those who had major depression at age 18 than for
other participants in the study. Adolescents who had depressive
and drug disorders thus continued to show high levels of problems
across the transition to adulthood, even though most of them
no longer met DSM criteria for the diagnoses.
Reference:
Giaconia, R.M., Reinherz, H.Z., Paradis, A.D., Hauf, A.M.C.,
& Stashwick, C.K. (2001). Major depression and drug disorders
in adolescence: General and specific impairments in early adulthood.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
40, 1426-1433.
