ABSTRACT
Prevention Defi nitions ..................................................................................... 662 Need for Prevention of Adolescent Depression .............................................. 662 Benefi ts of Universal Prevention for Adolescent Depression ........................ 663 Review of Universal Prevention Studies ........................................................ 666
Summary of Universal Prevention Studies ............................................... 672 Challenges to Universal Prevention of Adolescent Depression .................... 673 Future Directions for Universal Prevention Research .................................. 677 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 679 References ........................................................................................................ 679
Major depression among adolescents represents a serious public health problem. The prevalence of major depression among adolescents has been steadily increasing over time (e.g., Kessler & Walters, 1998), and adolescent-onset depression is associated with myriad negative consequences for affected individuals in both adolescence and later in adulthood (e.g., Georgiades, Lewinsohn, Monroe, & Seeley, 2006; Lewinsohn, Soloman, Seeley, & Zeiss, 2000; Pine, Cohen, Cohen, & Brooke, 1999). To address this growing public health problem, a number of preventive interventions for adolescent depression have been developed and tested. These interventions vary markedly across a number of dimensions, including the targeted population, the individuals who are trained to administer the intervention, the site for recruitment of participants, the outcomes assessed, and the ultimate effi cacy of the intervention being tested. This chapter focuses specifi cally on universal preventive interventions for adolescent depression. Universal prevention programs for adolescent depression represent interventions that target all eligible adolescents rather than those selected to be at high risk for depression based on current symptom levels or family history of depression. Indicated prevention programs are reviewed by Judy Garber in Chapter 22 of this volume. Defi nitions relevant to the distinctions between the major types of preventive interventions are fi rst covered, followed by reviews of the need for prevention of adolescent depression and of the current literature on universal preventive interventions. Finally, challenges to universal prevention research, and directions for future research are provided.
