2025 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 76-85
[Purpose]
The present study was intended to clarify the moderating effects of “values” in ACT on the relationship between over-adaptation and future depression among adolescents.
[Methods]
A short-term longitudinal survey was conducted with undergraduate and graduate students at two time points (T1 and T2). A total of 257 students who responded only at T1 were included in the cross-sectional analysis, whereas 163 students who responded at T1 and T2 were included in the longitudinal analysis.
[Results]
The participants were grouped according to whether they fell above or below the depression cutoffs. As a preliminary analysis, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis and simple slope tests were conducted using cross-sectional data. The results showed that in the depressed clinical group, higher “effort to meet expectations” and “sense of self-inadequacy” were associated with significantly higher depression, and lower “self-restraint” with significantly higher depression when “continuation of avoidance” was high. However, in the depressed clinical group, none of the subscales of over-adaptation showed a significant effect on depression when “continuation of avoidance” was low. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis using longitudinal data showed that “clarification of value and commitment” and “continuation of avoidance” had no significant effects on the relationships between over-adaptation and future depression in either the clinical group or the healthy group.
[Discussion]
It was assumed that adolescents in the depressed clinical group, who are more severely depressed had the following tendencies: they engaged in impulsive, or avoidant behaviors, rather than vigorously pursuing their personal goals or values; they excessively tried to meet the expectations and demands of others and society; and they suffered a loss of identity and confidence. Therefore, the clinical group of adolescents whose high levels of “efforts to meet expectations” and “sense of self-inadequacy” place them in an over-adaptation state may reduce their degree of depression by decreasing their “continuation of avoidance” behaviors.
