Why are adolescent girls more prone to stress-induced depression? Testing moderation, mediation, and reciprocal causality in a three-wave longitudinal study.

ABSTRACT: The prevalence of depression in females after puberty is twice as high as in their male peers. Considering numerous studies that associate the onset of depression with stress, we tested three hypotheses to elucidate the role of biological sex in stress-induced depression on a sample of 1618 secondary school students from Zagreb, Croatia (Males, N = 671, Mage at baseline = 16.4 years, SD = 0.60; Females, N = 947, Mage at baseline = 16.3 years, SD = 0.65), in a three-wave longitudinal study. The study tested the hypotheses regarding: (a) sex-related differences in reciprocal causation of stress and depression, (b) the moderating role of biological sex in the effect of stress on depression, and (c) the mediating role of stress on the pathway from biological sex to depression. The data were an

SUBMITTER: Milas G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11874174 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature