Abstract
Most existing studies investigating profiles of anxious and depressive symptoms in adolescent boys and girls do not consider the high cooccurrence between them, which prevents from identifying how heterogeneous groups might distinctly use coping strategies. To address this gap, the current study relies on a sample of 976 adolescents (56.0% girls (n = 547), aged 12–15 y.o., M = 12.92, SD = 0.75) to identify profiles of self-reported internalizing symptoms while properly disaggregating youth’s global levels of internalizing symptoms from their specific levels of anxious and depressive symptoms. The study also assesses whether similar profiles will be identified with the same frequency among boys and girls, as well as the associations between profile membership and coping strategies (problem-solving, social support, cognitive restructuring, cognitive avoidance, and behavioral avoidance) and whether these associations vary between sexes. Bifactor-confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the presence of a global internalizing factor and six specific factors reflecting anxious and depressive symptoms. Latent profile analyses identified three similar profiles among boys and girls but with different prevalence: Low internalizing symptoms (29.97% (n = 164) girls; 70.77% (n = 304) boys), Internalizing and specific anxious symptoms (40.15% (n = 220) girls, 14.75% (n = 63) boys), and Internalizing and specific depressive symptoms (29.86% (n = 163) girls, 14.48% (n = 62) boys). Girls in the Internalizing and specific anxious profile reported more frequent use of four coping strategies compared to boys (problem-solving, social support, cognitive restructuring, and cognitive avoidance). Among boys and girls, the Internalizing and specific depressive profile was associated with the least strategic use of coping strategies (low problem-solving, social support, and cognitive restructuring, and high cognitive and behavioral avoidance). The Internalizing and specific anxious profile was associated with high levels of all coping strategies (except behavioral avoidance). Overall, the study demonstrates that disaggregating global and specific internalizing symptoms allow identifying qualitatively distinct profiles, which then raised questions on the efficacy of the coping strategies used by youth with an Internalizing and specific anxious profile. These results support the adoption of a transdiagnostic approach of treatment based on a holistic representation of all aspects of adolescent boys’ and girls’ internalizing symptoms to better accompany them in the selection of their coping strategies.
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Notes
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The approximate n for each profile is reported as additional information. LPAs result in a probabilistic classification of each participant into the profiles. As such, the profile size represents the proportion of participants most likely corresponding to each profile, rather than a definite classification of participants into each profile.
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Acknowledgements
The first author was supported by funding from the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). The second author was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435-2018-0368). Data collection was supported by grants from the Fonds de recherche Société et culture (2018-NP-205005) and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (430-2018-00456). The fourth author was also supported by funding from the Canada Research Chairs program.
Authors’ contributions
E.O. conceived the study, analysed and interpreted the data, and wrote the original and revised manuscript; A.J.S.M. conceived the study, analysed and interpreted the data, and wrote the original and revised manuscript; K.T.G. provided the data and participated to writing the original and revised manuscript; I.A. participated to writing the original and revised manuscript; V.D. participated to writingthe original and revised manuscript; C.H. participated to the literature review and to writing the originaland revised manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
The first author was supported by funding from the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). The second author was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435-2018-0368). Data collection was supported by grants from the Fonds de recherche Société et culture (2018-NP-205005) and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (430-2018-00456). The fourth author was also supported by funding from the Canada Research Chairs program.
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The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and with permission of K.T.G.
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Olivier, E., Morin, A.J.S., Tardif-Grenier, K. et al. Profiles of Anxious and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescent Boys and Girls: Associations with Coping Strategies. J Youth Adolescence 51, 570–584 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01572-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01572-x