Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Effects of Social Skills on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Junior High School Students

Abstract

This study investigated that cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between depressive/anxiety symptoms and social skills in junior high school students. In the current study, 248 junior high school students completed the same questionnaires about social skills, depression, and anxiety at both Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), 3 months apart. First, hierarchal regression analyses at T1 indicated that withdrawal-behaviors were positively related to both depression and anxiety, and that prosocial-skills were negatively related to depression, whereas positively related to anxiety. Second, longitudinal effects were examined using hierarchal regression analyses after controlling for symptoms at T1. The results indicated that anxiety at T1 predicted increases in depressive symptoms at T2. Moreover, withdrawal-behaviors at T1 predicted increases in anxiety symptoms at T2. Finally, implications for future research and practice for junior high school students with depressive and anxiety symptoms are discussed.