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The Contribution of Social Rank and Attachment Theory to Depression in a Non Clinical Sample of Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Sylvia Pinna Puissant ,
Jean-Marie Gauthier  and
Robin Van Oirbeek
Sylvia Pinna Puissant*
Affiliation:
Université de Liège (Belgium)
Jean-Marie Gauthier
Affiliation:
Université de Liège (Belgium)
Robin Van Oirbeek
Affiliation:
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sylvia Pinna Puissant, Département Psychologies et cliniques des systèmes humains, Boulevard du Rectorat, 3 (B33) 4000 Liège, Belgium. E-mail: sylviapinna@gmail.com
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Abstract

This study explores the relative contribution of the overall quality of attachment to the mother, to the father and to peers (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment scales), the style of attachment towards peers (Attachment Questionnaire for Children scale), the social rank variables (submissive behavior and social comparison), and sex and age variables in predicting the depression score (Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) on a non-psychiatric sample of 13-18 year old adolescents (n = 225). Results of our integrated model (adjusted R-Square of .50) show that attachment variables (overall quality of attachment to the father and to the mother), social rank variables (social comparison and submissive behavior), age and sex are important in predicting depressive symptoms during adolescence. Moreover, the attachment to peers variables (quality of attachment to peers, secure and ambivalent style of attachment) and sex are mediated by the social rank variables (social comparison and submissive behavior).

En este estudio se explora la contribución de la calidad general del apego a la madre, al padre y a los iguales (Inventario de Apego con Padres y Pares); el estilo del apego a los iguales (Cuestionario de apego para niños); variables de rango social (conducta sumisa y comparación social); y las variables de género y edad como predictoras de depresión (Escala de Depresión del Centro de Estudios Epidemiológicos) en una muestra no psiquiátrica de adolescentes de 13 a 18 años de edad (n = 225). Los resultados del modelo propuesto (R-cuadrado ajustado de .50) indican que las variables de apego (calidad general de apego al padre o la madre), las variables de rango social (comparación social y conducta sumisa), así como la edad y el género, son importantes a la hora de predecir síntomas depresivos durante la adolescencia. Más aún, las variables de apego hacia los iguales (calidad del apego a los iguales, estilo de apego seguro y ambivalente) y el género, están influenciadas por variables de rango social (comparación social y conducta sumisa).

Keywords

depressionadolescencesocial rankattachmentadolescentsdepresiónadolescenciarango socialapegoadolescentes
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , November 2011 , pp. 832 - 842
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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