New ARCH Research

A new ARCH Lab paper entitled, “Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Canadian Emerging Adults” was recently published in the American Journal of Public Health. Findings from this population-based study showed three distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms that peak at 15-17 years of age and declined through to 25 years of age. Most emerging adults had low levels of symptoms over time. Subclinical and clinical symptoms were more common in female youths and in respondents with lower self-concept, lower socioeconomic status, poorer interpersonal relations, and chronic health conditions in a dose-response manner. Given the age of participants in the study, school-based intervention programs could be delivered prior to secondary school graduation with the aim to accelerate risk reduction in emerging adults with elevated levels of depressive symptoms.