Abstract
This study aimed to identify associations between daily lifestyle characteristics and latent depressive symptoms in young children by analyzing self-reported questionnaire data. In 2011, in Nagasaki Japan, a cross-sectional survey of 1961 children aged
between 10 and 12 years was conducted. Children answered questionnaires that collected demographic information, along with
daily lifestyle characteristics, and were administered the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC-J). The
mean age of the participants was 10.98 years (±0.83 standard deviation [SD]) with a mean DSRSC-J raw score of 11.61 (±6.34
SD). In total, 24.7% of participants reported depressive symptoms. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that depressive symptoms were associated with female gender (odds ratio [OR]:1.86; 95% CI: 1.48–2.33), experiencing growth (OR: 1.25;
1.07-1.44), a bedtime later than 11 pm (OR: 1.25; 1.01-1.66), skipping breakfast (OR: 1.55; 1.15-2.10), and not having a set dinner
time (OR: 1.65; 1.32–2.07). Conversely, absence of depressive symptoms was associated with involvement in school-related
athletic clubs (OR: 0.60, 95% Cl: 0.48–0.76) and at home studying for at least one hour per day (OR: 0.67, 95% Cl: 0.54–0.84).
Depressive symptoms in young children were associated with social contact and their parent’s lifestyles. Non-experts in the
field of mental health who interact with young children should carefully note the presence of factors associated with depressive
symptoms as this would help children with latent depressive symptoms receive prompt and timely care.
