Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents With a Chronic Illness

Adolescents with various chronic illnesses were compared to healthy comparison controls and the normative population on self-reports of symptoms of depression. Overall, a higher percentage of adolescents with a chronic illness reported symptoms of moderate to severe depression; the frequency was highest in those adolescents with sickle cell disease. Adolescents who rated their chronic disease as moderate or severe reported more depressive symptoms than did those adolescents who rated their illness as mild. Within the limitations of our study, we recommend that future investigations examine patterns and symptoms of depression in adolescents coping with the stressors of a chronic illness.