Objective: Symptoms of ADHD place adolescents at increased risk for depression. The transition from middle to high school may magnify depression risk. This study examined whether changes in adolescents’ negative relationship quality with their mothers and best friends from eighth to 12th grades mediated the longitudinal relations between ADHD and depressive symptoms. Method: 368 adolescents (48.5% male) were initially recruited. Results: Boys with elevated ADHD symptoms in the eighth grade reported steeper increases in negative relationship quality with their mothers relative to girls, and that this trajectory mediated the relation between ADHD and depressive symptoms. ADHD symptoms were also associated with increases in negative friendship quality across high school for boys; however, this did not mediate the relation between ADHD and depressive symptoms for either sex. Conclusion: Growth in mother–adolescent negative relationship quality may be one mechanism that explains the development of depressive symptoms in adolescent boys with elevated ADHD symptoms.

目的：多动症的症状使青少年患抑郁症的风险增加。从初中到高中的过渡可能会放大抑郁症的风险。这项研究检查了青少年与母亲和最好的朋友从 8 到 12 年级的负面关系质量的变化是否介导了 ADHD 和抑郁症状之间的纵向关系。方法：最初招募了 368 名青少年（48.5% 为男性）。结果：与女孩相比，八年级多动症症状升高的男孩与母亲的负面关系质量急剧增加，并且这种轨迹调节了多动症与抑郁症状之间的关系。ADHD 症状还与高中男生消极友谊质量的增加有关；然而，这并没有介导 ADHD 与任何性别的抑郁症状之间的关系。结论：母婴负面关系质量的提高可能是解释多动症症状升高的青春期男孩出现抑郁症状的一种机制。