Factors Predicting Depression Among Thai Adolescents During the Transition From the COVID-19 Pandemic to the Endemic Phase.
Vacharanan Pong-Isawaranan, Tusana Thaweekoon, Wilai Napa
PMID 42257253WHAT IT FOUND
In 605 Thai high school students, perceived stress was most strongly linked with depressive symptoms, and avoidance coping also mattered.
Approach coping and social support did not add separate information after stress and avoidance were considered.
Key findings
01Perceived stress was the strongest correlate of depressive symptoms; by itself it had R² = 0.543, and it remained the largest predictor in the final model.
02Avoidance coping added significant information after perceived stress was accounted for (ΔR² = 0.012) and remained significant in the final model (β = 0.133).
03In the final model, approach coping (β = -0.034, p = 0.289) and perceived social support (β = -0.056, p = 0.080) were not significant predictors.
STILL TO COME
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What it does not show
The study measured everything at one time, so it cannot show that stress or avoidance coping caused depression, or that reducing them would lower symptoms. All data came from students' self-reports, which can inflate associations because one person's mood and response style affect every score. The sample came from two schools in one educational cluster in central Thailand, so results may not apply to other Thai regions, younger students, out-of-school adolescents, or clinical patients. Data collection happened across different points in the school term, including exams and break, so stress levels may have varied by timing. The paper did not formally test whether social support or approach coping worked through stress or coping, so those pathways remain hypotheses.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and reported nothing to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating perceived stress or avoidance coping will reduce depression, because this was a cross-sectional survey and no intervention was tested. Do not conclude social support is unimportant either; it was associated with lower depression before adjustment but lost independent significance once stress and avoidance coping were included.