Can The Negative Non-Verbal Behaviours Of Peers Predict Depression?

Abstract

This study investigated a fragment of the Social Skills Deficit Model (SSDM), specifically, how both rejection, in terms of negative peer non-verbal responses, and negative cognitions, in terms of bias in perceived rejection, could predict future depressive symptoms. The following hypotheses were formulated: (1) The negative non-verbal peer responses, such as less gazing while listening, less gazing while speaking, less smiling and more negative behaviours, predict depression (2) The negative bias in perceived rejection predicts depression (3) The negative bias in perceived rejection mediates the relationship between non-verbal responses from peers and depression (4) Those effects are expected to be more prominent in girls, than boys, and younger adolescents, from 12 to 15 years old, than older adolescents from 15 to 17 years old. In this study, the dependent variable is the highest depression score in waves 2-4. The independent variables are the non-verbal behaviours of peers and bias in perceived rejection. In a longitudinal design, the data was gathered from 170 participants aged 12-17 from two Dutch Secondary Schools in 4 waves approximately nine months apart. The first hypothesis was partially supported, as the results have shown that less peer gazing while listening was a significant predictor of future increase in the depressive symptoms in the respondent. The second, third and fourth hypotheses were not supported by the data, since a bias in perceived rejection was not found to predict depressive symptoms, nor there were any sex or age interactions.