Sex Differences in Adolescent Depression: Stress Exposure and Reactivity Models

Stress exposure and reactivity models were examined as explanations for why girls exhibit greater levels of depressive symptoms than boys. In a multiwave, longitudinal design, adolescents' depressive symptoms, alcohol usage, and occurrence of stressors were assessed at baseline, 6, and 12 months later ( N =538; 54.5% female; ages 13–18, average 14.9). Daily stressors were coded into developmentally salient domains using a modified...