Brief report: A longitudinal investigation of the relation between a negative cognitive triad and depressive symptoms in youth

The present study examined self-reported depressive symptoms and associated cognitive features by reporting data from a 1-year longitudinal study of a community sample of 93 children and 69 adolescents. Results revealed that in childhood a negative cognitive triad appeared to be more a consequence than a predictor of depressive symptoms after 1 year. In adolescence, a negative view of the future was predictive of depressive symptoms after 1 year. A negative cognitive triad also appeared to be a consequence of depressive symptoms. The results imply that in youth depressive symptoms produce changes in the cognitive style, which may put them at risk for future episodes of depression.