The Prevention of Depressive Symptoms in Rural School Children: A Follow-up Study

Longitudinal studies indicate that 15-20% of children experience an episode of depression by the end of secondary school (Harrington et al, 1996; Kovacs, 1996) and that adolescent depression has a poor prognosis, increasing the risk for adult depressive disorders (Lewinsohn et al, 1999). Long-term follow-up is therefore crucial in depression prevention research with children. For prevention effects to emerge, it is important to follow children through the period of elevated risk to mid-adolescence at least. Few studies, however, have investigated the distal effects of prevention programmes for internalising problems such as depression and anxiety (Greenberg et al, 1999). Gillham and colleagues (Gillham & Reivich, 1999; Gillham et al, 1995) reported on the long-term follow-up results of the Penn Prevention Program. Children (10–13 years) in these studies were assessed at six-monthly intervals for up to three years following the intervention, at which time 55% of children remained. The prevention effect was maintained at a two-year follow-up, in comparison with the control group, and intervention group children were less likely to report moderate to severe symptoms of depression (Child Depression Inventory (CDI) Kovacs, 1992) (Gillham et al, 1995). These effects, however, were no longer significant at a three-year follow-up (Gillham & Reivich, 1999). The intervention group made fewer stable explanations for negative events than the control group at both twoand three-year follow-ups. In addition, explanatory style partly mediated the impact of the intervention in decreasing depressive symptoms at the two-year follow-up. The Prevention of Depressive Symptoms in Rural School Children: A Follow-up Study Clare Roberts