COGNITIVE SOCIAL SKILLS AND SOCIAL SELF-APPRAISAL IN DEPRESSED ADOLESCENTS

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine whether the social c ognitive skills and social self-appraisal of depressed adolescents dif fered from those of other adolescents with nonaffective psychiatric di sorders or of adolescents free from disorder. Method: Within the age r ange of 15 to 19, 38 depressed adolescent outpatients (14 boys, 24 gir ls); 31 nondepressed adolescent outpatients (17 boys, 14 girls); and 3 4 normal high-school students (18 boys, 16 girls) were assessed using the following dependent measures: Interpersonal Negotiation Interview, Adolescent Social Problem Solving Measure, Adolescent Self Perception Profile, and Interpersonal Dependency Inventory. Results: Depressed a dolescents were found to have significantly more negative self-concept s and significantly less social self-confidence than either comparison group. They did not differ from the other adolescents in either socia l problem-solving ability or interpersonal understanding. Conclusions: These results indicate that depressed adolescents have unique deficit s in social self-evaluation which contribute to ineffective social beh avior and the maintenance of dysphoric affect. Treatment of social ski ll deficits should be based on a careful assessment of the patient's f unctioning in this area.