A new study shows the number of teens experiencing five or more symptoms of depression in a two-week period rose significantly among girls, with a more modest rise for boys.
Having five or more depressive symptoms puts teens at greater risk for a major depressive disorder, and the risk for teen girls rose from 13 percent to 17 percent from 2005 to 2014, UPI reported. For boys, the risk increased less, from 4.5 percent to 6 percent.
The risk rose most from 2012 to 2014, the Johns Hopkins study, published online in the journal Pediatrics on Nov. 14, showed. More than 172,000 teens ages 12 to 17 and almost 179,000 young adults ages 18 to 25 were surveyed by the U.S. National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, and that data was analyzed for this study.
Lead study author Dr. Ramin Mojtabai pointed to an increased reporting of cyberbullying among girls as a possible reason for the increase. Girls text more frequently than boys do, and are more prone to have exposure to cyberbullying, Mojtabai said, but stated that conclusion was only a speculation, not a definitive finding.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine called bullying “a major public health problem” in a May report. Other research suggested teen girls face interpersonal stress — like arguing with a family member or friend — more often than boys do, which increases their risk of depression as well, CNN reported.
The study authors felt strongly that more research needs to be done on adolescent depression and its causes to determine why risks are increasing.