Depressive Symptoms among Junior High School Students in Southern China: Prevalence, Changes, and Psychosocial Correlates

•While depression generally declined throughout the secondary junior school years, severe depression remained stable.•Being female and having poor academic achievement are risk factors.•Positive family functioning and positive youth development constructs protect against the development of adolescent depression. Depression is one of the most common mental health problems in adolescents. A careful assessment of the prevalence and risk of depressive symptoms, as well as those factors that protect against it, is essential for prevention and intervention programs. Using two waves of data from Grade 7 to Grade 9 (N = 1,544 students in Wave 1), this study examined the prevalence and changes of depressive symptoms and their related psychosocial correlates (personal and familial factors, including family functioning and positive youth development [PYD] constructs) among junior high school students in Southern China. The results showed that while depressive symptoms generally declined throughout the secondary junior school years, symptoms of major depression remained stable. Concurrently, academic achievement, family functioning, and PYD constructs regarding cognitive behavioral competence (CBC), positive identity (PIT), and general PYD qualities (GPYDQ) negatively predicted depressive symptoms in Wave 1. Longitudinally, being female, having poor academic achievement and family functioning, and having a low PIT in Wave 1 significantly predicted depressive symptoms in Wave 2. This study used the self-reporting approach, did not track a long-term developmental trajectories of adolescent depressive symptoms, and did not cover all potential predictors. The findings suggest that being female and having poor academic achievement are risk factors, while positive family functioning and PYD constructs protect against the development of adolescent depression.