Exploring the Mechanism of Depression Contagion in Adolescents: The Roles of Self-Other Differentiation, Friendship Quality and Psychological Burden

We examined self-other differentiation and friendship quality moderate depression contagion among adolescents. Using longitudinal survey of 207 high school students, we foundfriends' depressive symptoms were associated with adolescents' but did not predict long-term effects. In cross-sectional analysis, higher friendship quality strengthened the association between adolescents' depressive symptoms and their friends.