Peer Responses to Social Interaction With Depressed Adolescents

Abstract

Investigated peers' reactions to social interaction with clinically depressed adolescents. Twenty-three adolescents (10 males, 13 females) diagnosed, with a depressive disorder and 23 matched normal adolescents participated in a semistructured interaction with a same-sex, unfamiliar peer, who was a confederate in the study. Following the interaction, the peer confederates rated their responses to their partner's social acceptability. The findings indicated that depressed adolescents were less likely to be rated as popular in their peer group than nondepressed adolescents. Female depressives were rated as less desirable friends and as tess interested in establishing friendships than nondepressed females. The results are discussed in terms of the interactional view of depression.