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Friday, August 27, 2010

Depressed Teens Likely to Form Friendships with Other Depressed Teens

If your daughter is struggling with teen depression, there's a good chance that someone else in her social circle is, too.

Depressed teenagers tend to hang out with one another on the "social margins" of their high schools, according to a new study from Arizona State University.

Professors David Schaefer and Olga Korienko studied data collected on 3702 teenagers, and found that depressed teenagers choose to form friendships with others who have similar mood problems.

"These students are not avoided by others at school because they are depressed, and their depression is not a product of having poor quality friendships," Dr. Schaefer said.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

Labels: relationships, depression

Posted By: Boarding Schools for Girls

Comments:

Kensington on 9/15/2010
It certainly makes sense. Having been part of the smoking section group of teenagers in high school, I know the camaraderie that can develop among teenagers who are experiencing similar things in their personal and school lives. Too often depression is overlooked as part of the problem. Parents and schools can focus on the behavior but not look for the reasoning behind it, which can be depression.