Associations between Developmental Assets and Adolescent Health Status: Findings from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health.
Katherine Zheng, Eugene C Roehlkepartain, John S Santelli and 2 others
PMID 35001405WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with depression, with or without physical illness, had fewer internal and external assets than healthy peers.
Physical illness alone did not reduce assets. Depression severity was not linked to asset count. School disengagement may signal underlying depression.
Key findings
01Adolescents with depression, regardless of physical illness status, had significantly fewer external and internal assets compared to healthy adolescents.
02Adolescents with a chronic physical illness alone did not differ from healthy adolescents in asset scores.
03Depression severity was not associated with the number of internal or external assets among adolescents with depression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Data were parent-reported, which may differ from the adolescent's own perspective on support and assets. The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if low assets cause depression or if depression leads to lower assets. The sample with chronic illness was dominated by asthma, limiting generalizability to other conditions. The survey did not capture all developmental assets, particularly those related to positive identity and values. Depression diagnosis was based on parent recall of a provider's diagnosis, which may have led to under-reporting.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that adolescents with chronic physical illnesses have fewer developmental assets than their healthy peers. The study found no difference in asset scores between adolescents with a physical illness alone and healthy adolescents. The reduction in assets was linked specifically to the presence of depression, not the physical illness itself.