# Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms and Associated Risk Factors From Late Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

## TL;DR

This study identifies five patterns of depressive symptoms in German youth and finds that being female and facing economic hardship are key risk factors.

## Contribution

The study introduces a person-centered approach to identify distinct depressive symptom trajectories and their risk factors in a German sample.

## Key findings

- Five distinct depressive symptom trajectories were identified in adolescents and young adults.
- Female gender and economic deprivation were consistent risk factors for higher depressive symptoms.
- Economic deprivation mediates the effects of family and immigration status on depressive symptoms.

## Abstract

This study addresses a research gap by identifying depressive symptom trajectories from adolescence to emerging adulthood in a German community sample using a person-centered approach.

The sample consisted of 3,682 adolescents and young adults (49.3% self-identified as female; age at T1: 15–19 years, M = 17.03, SD = 0.88) assessed in seven annual waves of the German Family Panel Pairfam. Latent class growth analysis was conducted with sociodemographic variables (gender, family status, parental education, economic deprivation, immigration background) and depressive symptoms, as assessed by the State-Trait Depression Scales.

Five depressive symptom trajectories were identified: stable low symptoms (34%), intermediate onset with decreasing symptom trajectory (8%), intermediate onset with slow increasing symptom trajectory (46%), intermediate onset with strong increase symptom trajectory (9%) and stable high symptoms (4%). Female gender and economic deprivation were predictors for all four classes associated with higher depressive symptoms with reference to the class with stable low depressive symptoms. Family status and immigration status lost their predictive impact for membership in depressive symptom trajectories when economic deprivation was included.

Interventions should target the underlying etiological factors of female gender and economic deprivation being risk factors for trajectories of depression, taking into consideration the complexity and interaction of biopsychosocial and political variables in the development of depressive disorders.

Five depressive symptom trajectories were identified from adolescence to emerging adulthood (15-25 years) in a German sample.Female gender and economic deprivation are risk factors and should be targeted in preventions measures for depression.Economic deprivation mediates the effects of family status and immigration status on depressive symptoms.

Five depressive symptom trajectories were identified from adolescence to emerging adulthood (15-25 years) in a German sample.

Female gender and economic deprivation are risk factors and should be targeted in preventions measures for depression.

Economic deprivation mediates the effects of family status and immigration status on depressive symptoms.