Perceived social inadequacy and depressed mood in adolescents

The goal of the study was to examine stability in, and the relationship between, perceived social inadequacy and depressed mood in a sample of community adolescents. The Checklist of Adolescent Problem Situations (CAPS) and Childrenʹs Depression Inventory (CDI) were administered to 224 high-school students on two occasions 4 months apart. CDI and CAPS scores were positively correlated and test–retest reliability was high in both instruments. Cross-lagged panel correlations, controlled for within-time associations, did not significantly differ. Results indicated that perceived social inadequacy in adolescents is stable over time—independent of its association with depressed mood. Copyright 2002 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.