Depressed Mood, Gender, and Problem Drinking in Youth

• NCJ Number: 202958
• Journal: Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 12 Issue: 4 Dated: 2003 Pages: 55-68
• Author(s): Susan F. Tapert; Suzanne M. Colby; Nancy P. Barnett; Anthony Spirito; Damaris J. Rohsenow; Mark G. Myers; Peter M. Monti
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH18399
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses the relationship of depressed mood and gender to treatment response in adolescents admitted to an Emergency Department (ED) for alcohol-related incidents.

Abstract

Both substance misuse and depressed moods are common during adolescence. It is unclear how mood may influence adolescents’ response to substance-related interventions. It is possible that mood may influence decisions to start drinking and to keep drinking. It was hypothesized that depressed mood would influence adolescents’ subsequent drinking behavior differently for males and females because adolescent females have higher levels of depression, may respond differently than males to depressive affect, and often show different treatment outcome than males. Adolescents treated at an ED were randomly assigned to a Motivational Interviewing condition or to standard hospital care. Participants were followed for 6 months with detailed measures of alcohol involvement and depressed mood. The results show that, for girls, reports of depressed mood symptoms at the time of an alcohol-related hospital visit were more predictive of drinking outcome 6 months later than the type of intervention administered. Depressed mood appeared to be prognostic of poorer outcome for late-adolescent females. Depressed mood had less of an influence on drinking behaviors among adolescent males in this sample. While increased levels of depression at baseline predicted more drinking at follow-up for teen boys, older adolescent males showed no relationship between scores on a self-report mood measure at the time of an ED visit and follow-up drinking. This study suggests that for 13- to 17-year-old females, a moderately elevated degree of depressed mood symptoms in response to an adverse life event may herald a decrease in drinking quantities. Clinicians can capitalize on this distress by accentuating the risks of heavy drinking, working cooperatively with the teen to set goals, and providing support to help the teen reach that goal. Depressed mood symptoms may indicate or heighten the risk for increases in drinking for early- to mid-adolescent boys and for late-adolescent females. Clinicians might target intervention efforts toward depressed youth in these demographic groups. 3 tables, 26 references