Identifying Depression Early in Adolescence (IDEA): design, methods and initial results

• In Event: Novel approaches for identifying and understanding risk for adolescent depression in a global context

Abstract

Aims. Challenges exist in the characterization of adolescents at risk for depression. Traditional approaches usually rely on single factors to establish presence or absence of risk. Following other areas of medicine, recent developments have integrated multiple variables into composite scores for mental health outcomes. The aim of this talk is to present data from a newly recruited sample of adolescents stratified by risk of developing depression.
Methods. Using a composite risk score based on 11 sociodemographic variables collected directly from the adolescent, we screened 7,720 youth aged 14 to 16 years in 101 public schools from Porto Alegre, south Brazil. Subsequently, 150 took part in a detailed clinical and neurobiological assessment: a group of 50 low-risk (LR) participants with no current or past depression and below the 20th percentile on our risk score; a group of 50 high-risk (HR) participants with no current or past depression above the 90th percentile on the risk score; and a group of 50 participants with a current untreated depression diagnosis (MDD).
Results. There was a stepwise increase from LR to HR to MDD in terms of symptoms of depression in general (also in specific measures of anhedonia and irritability) and in overall functioning; the MDD group showed more suicidality and parent-reported symptoms in comparison to both HR and LR (all p<0.05). Differences regarding peripheral inflammatory biomarkers and neuroimaging findings will also be presented during the talk.
Conclusions. Novel approaches for capturing the vulnerability to depression in adolescence are promising strategies in terms of risk stratification for neurobiological research.

Authors

• Christian Kieling, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
  Presenting Author

• Arthur Caye, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Pedro Manfro, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Zuzanna Zajkowska, King's College London
  Non-Presenting Author

• Thais Martini, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Claudia Buchweitz, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Annamaria Cattaneo, King's College London
  Non-Presenting Author

• Naghmeh Nikkheslat, King's College London
  Non-Presenting Author

• Silvia Benetti, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sandra Petresco, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lucas Battel, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Fernanda Rohrsetzer, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anna Viduani, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laila Souza, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
  Non-Presenting Author

• Valentina Zonca, King's College London
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rakesh Karmacharya, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brandon Kohrt, George Washington University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Helen L Fisher, King's College London
  Non-Presenting Author

• Johnna Swartz, University of California - Davis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Valeria Mondelli, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
  Non-Presenting Author