Age, gender and negative life events in anxiety and depression self-reports at preadolescence and early adolescence

Objective: To examine the associations between age, gender, negative life events and anxiety and depressive symptoms in preadolescents and early adolescents. Method: A cluster sampling procedure was used for this cross-sectional study, with 1.514 randomly selected 4th to 6th grade pupils attending 13 randomly selected schools in Reus (Catalonia). Information on negative life events and anxiety and depression symptoms was collected by means of self-reports. Results: Through linear regression models, significant negative associations were found between age, general anxiety and panic and separation anxiety symptoms. A significant positive association was found between age and generalized anxiety symptoms. Girls obtained significantly higher scores for almost all types of anxiety symptoms: separation anxiety, panic, generalized anxiety and general anxiety. General anxiety, depressive symptoms and generalized anxiety symptoms were significantly more associated with negative life events. Conclusion: age, gender and negative life events are important factors in the manifestation of anxiety and depression.