Introduction

Peers are believed to continue as prominent sources of influence for young adults. However, having peers who use alcohol and drugs is associated with depressive symptoms in young adults and research on the effects of having peers who model positive activities beyond adolescence is scarce.

Method

In this 10-year study of 644 Canadian youth (52% female), we used multilevel modeling to examine the effects of within-person and between-person differences in the interplay of peer behaviours and changes in depressive symptoms between ages 14 and 25. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and surveys for private topics.

Results

Youth with close friends who used drugs and alcohol consistently reported more depressive symptoms at each age, whereas having friends who engaged in positive activities was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, especially during adolescence. Moreover, at times when youth had more substance-using peers than usual (within person variation), they also reported more symptoms.

Conclusions

Substance-using peer contexts convey both short- and long-term risks for depressive symptoms. However, the protective effects of having peers who are engaged in positive activities, while generally protective, may be reduced in young adulthood. It is possible that older youth withdraw from peers and activities as their depression worsens, and prosocial activities become less supervised by parents, more optional, and more expensive.

中文翻译：

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从青春期到成年期，同伴的正面和负面影响以及抑郁症状的变化。

介绍

人们认为，同龄人继续作为影响年轻人的重要来源。但是，有同龄人饮酒和吸毒会导致年轻人的抑郁症状，因此很少有研究以同龄人模拟青春期以外的积极活动的影响。

方法

在这项对644名加拿大年轻人（52％女性）的为期10年的研究中，我们使用了多级建模研究了人与人之间差异对同伴行为相互作用和14至25岁之间抑郁症状变化的影响。通过面对面访谈和私人主题调查收集数据。

结果

与有好朋友的吸毒和酗酒的青年在每个年龄段都持续报告更多的抑郁症状，而有积极活动的朋友则较少出现抑郁症状，尤其是在青春期。此外，在青年时期使用同龄人的同龄人比平时多的情况下（因人而异），他们还报告了更多的症状。

结论

使用药物的同伴环境传达了抑郁症状的短期和长期风险。但是，参加同伴积极活动的保护作用虽然通常是保护性的，但在成年后可能会降低。随着抑郁症的恶化，年长的年轻人有可能退出同伴并从事其他活动，亲朋好友的亲朋好友活动变得越来越少，他们的选择更加随意，也更加昂贵。