THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN SCHOOL-CHILDRENAND THE SOCIAL RESPONSES OF TEACHERS

Examined the relationship between self-reported and parent-reported de pressive symptomatology in school children and the social responses of teachers. Ninety-seven fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students, the ir parents, and their teachers participated in the study. Small but si gnificant correlations were found between self-reported child depressi ve symptoms and negative social responses early in a school year; hier archical regression models that controlled for demographics also demon strated this relationship. No relationship was found between teacher s ocial response ratings and parent reports of child depressive-type sym ptoms. Significant relationships were found, however, between parents' ratings of delinquency and thought problems, and teachers' social res ponses. An exploratory analysis conducted 6 months later using a subsa mple of subjects suggested that the relation between self-reported dep ressive symptomatology and negative social responding increases over t ime. Overall, partial support was found for Coyne's (1976) interperson al model of depression as applied to children.