How Language Plays into Depression Symptoms in Teens & Youth

Depression symptoms in teens and youth arise for many different reasons, there’s never just one cause. It’s extremely complicated, which makes it hard to pin down exactly what spurs on depression symptoms in teens and adolescents.
Because of this, research into what can help cause depression is essential to creating more effective and efficient treatment methods. PsychCentral recently reported on a study that researched the connection between depression and early childhood language skills.

Language skills & depression

According to research, around 1 in 20 adolescents will experience depression at some point. That’s a lot of kids. Now a new study by the University of Missouri has found that language skills in early childhood could predict whether a child is going to deal with depression symptoms later on. Researchers discovered that children who were exposed to only low levels of language learning stimulation were three times as likely to experience depression by only the third grade.

The lead researchers believe this has to do with social and academic development. These children tend to continue to struggle in school, whether that’s with socializing with their peers or getting good grades, or both. Having lower language skills leads to more difficulties socially and academically, which can lead to a greater risk of depression symptoms in teens–especially if they’re not being helped.

Dr. Keith Herman, professor at the University of Missouri’s College of Education, stated:

“Whether it is through pre-school classes, interactions with parents and siblings, or through consuming media such as television and books, exposure to greater amounts of language and vocabulary will help prepare children to succeed socially and academically when they begin school.”

The children who had higher levels of language learning stimulation had a much lower chance of developing depression and having struggles academically. This just strengthens the idea that parents should continue to read to their children at a young age and continue to inspire them to read as they grow older–it can only benefit them.
We also know that there’s a pretty strong link between language skills and depression symptoms in teens now, which will help in prevention and treatment efforts.

If you believe your daughter is struggling with depression, it’s essential to reach out to a professional for further guidance. Your family has options.

We help with depression symptoms in teens & adolescents

Asheville Academy is a therapeutic boarding school for young girls, ages 10-14, struggling with anxiety, depression symptoms in teens, ADHD, and other behavioral or emotional issues.

For more information about how Asheville Academy helps with depression symptoms in teens & adolescents, call 800-264-8709 today.