The British journal of clinical psychology / the British Psychological Society
-
Adolescence represents a critical phase when the concept of self is developed and consolidated. Depressed adolescents globally endorse more negative and fewer positive self-descriptive words compared with non-depressed adolescents. Yet, the methods used have not allowed for more detailed exploration of the specific content of these self-endorsements. ⋯ Most highly endorsed self-descriptive negative words by depressed adolescents were 'worthless' and 'useless' Positive prosocial self-descriptive adjectives (i.e., trustworthy, friendly, and kind) were highly endorsed by all young people and were not associated with depression Assessment and treatment should consider the content of adolescent self-evaluation The present study is unable to identify whether young people would produce the same themes of positive and negative words in a free response measure Diagnostic information was only available on the clinical group.