Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jul-Aug;34(4):333-345.
doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2020.01.008. Epub 2020 Mar 11.

Longitudinal Relationships Between Depression and Chronic Illness in Adolescents: An Integrative Review

Katherine Zheng, Cilgy Abraham, Jean-Marie Bruzzese, Arlene Smaldone
Review

Longitudinal Relationships Between Depression and Chronic Illness in Adolescents: An Integrative Review

Katherine Zheng et al. J Pediatr Health Care. 2020 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is prevalent among adolescents with chronic illness. However, little is known about how depression affects chronic illness over time. This review aimed to synthesize longitudinal relationships between depression and disease control, self-management behaviors, illness-related morbidity, and quality of life.

Method: Four databases were searched, including PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. Inclusion criteria were cohort studies examining depression among adolescents aged 10-21 years with a chronic illness and studies published in English. Study quality was appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and data was synthesized by the outcome.

Results: Of the 3,463 articles identified, 11 were included in the review. For adolescents with diabetes, increased depressive symptoms predicted decreased metabolic control and monitoring, medication adherence, quality of life, and increased hospitalization. Studies on cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease, sickle cell disease, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis were limited but demonstrated that depressive symptoms affected the quality of life, disability, pain, and hospitalization rates/costs.

Discussion: Evidence supports the need for mental health care strategies suitable for adolescents with chronic illness. Future research is needed to examine the effects of depressive symptoms across diversified chronic illness populations.

Keywords: Adolescent health; chronic disease; comorbidity; depression; mental health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram depicting article search and selection
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Baucom KJ, Turner SL, Tracy EL, Berg CA, & Wiebe DJ (2018). Depressive symptoms and diabetes management from late adolescence to emerging adulthood. Health Psychology, 37(8), 716–724. doi:10.1037/hea0000645 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Benton TD, Ifeagwu JA, & Smith-Whitley K (2007). Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease. Current Psychiatry Reports, 9(2), 114–121. - PubMed
    1. Bernell S, & Howard SW (2016). Use your words carefully: What is a chronic disease? Frontiers of Public Health, 4, 159. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2016.00159 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brady AM, Deighton J, & Stansfeld S (2017). Psychiatric outcomes associated with chronic illness in adolescence: A systematic review. Journal of Adolescence, 59, 112–123. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.05.014 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Compas BE, Jaser SS, Dunn MJ, & Rodriguez EM (2012). Coping with chronic illness in childhood and adolescence. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 8, 455–480. doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032511-143108 - DOI - PMC - PubMed