Anxiety-Disordered Adolescents With and Without a Comorbid Depressive Disorder: Variations in Clinical Presentation and Emotion Regulation. (September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Queen, Alexander H.; Ehrenreich-May, Jill
• Is Part Of: Journal of emotional and behavioral disorders. Volume 22:Number 3(2014:Sep.)
• Page Start: 160
• Page End: 170
• Publication Date: 2014-09
• Subjects: adolescent anxiety -- adolescent depression -- comorbidity -- emotion regulation; Emotional problems of children -- Periodicals; Behavior disorders in children -- Periodicals; Problem children -- Periodicals; Problem youth -- Periodicals; Adjustment disorders in children -- Periodicals; Child psychopathology -- Periodicals; 618.9289005
• DOI: 10.1177/1063426613478175
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1063-4266

Abstract

There is a high degree of comorbidity between anxiety and depressive disorders among treatment-seeking adolescents. Comorbid youth often present with greater diagnostic severity, worse social functioning, and more severe anxiety and depressive symptoms, compared with anxiety-disordered youth without depression. However, the degree to which these populations may differ in underlying affect and emotion regulation (ER) is largely unknown. This study compared 44 anxiety-disordered adolescents (ages 12-18 years) with a comorbid depressive disorder (ANX + DEP) and 32 anxiety-disordered adolescents without a comorbid depressive disorder (ANX) on several clinical and emotion-related variables. Results indicated that ANX + DEP adolescents were assigned higher clinician-rated diagnostic severity ratings, and reported greater functional impairment and more severe social anxiety and depressive symptoms, compared with ANX adolescents. In addition, ANX + DEP adolescents demonstrated higher levels of negative affect, lower levels of positive affect, and poorer self-reported and parent-reported ER. Implications for assessment and treatment, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.