The Link Between Negative Self-Thinking and Adolescent Depression Levels

A study published in Acta Psychologica has found a link between persistent negative self-referent thinking and current depressive symptoms in adolescents, but not necessarily future symptoms. The research, conducted by Eline Belmans and team at KU Leuven Research University, used an Emotional Reversal Learning Task to measure participants' adaptation to changing reward conditions and found that those who persistently engaged in negative self-referent thinking had higher levels of depressive symptoms. However, this thinking pattern was not a significant predictor of future symptoms. The study sheds light on depressive cognition in adolescents and suggests potential avenues for preventive strategies in adolescent mental health, but has limitations in terms of self-reporting and the short follow-up period.