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Depressive symptoms among adolescents in Georgia: the role of ethnicity, low self-control, parents, and peers

  • Original article
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International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

The present study tested the role of low self-control, positive parental and peer relationships, and ethnic minority status (Armenian or Azeri), in explaining variability in depressive symptoms in Georgian youth.

Methods

Self-report data were collected from N = 8254 adolescents in Georgia (55.5% female, M age = 15.57, SD 1.03). Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent constructs.

Results

Low self-control significantly and positively predicted depressive symptoms, while perceived parental warmth did so negatively; peer friendship quality was unrelated. Ethnic minority status explained a very small amount of unique variance in depressive symptoms for Azeri youth only, not for Armenian adolescents. Multi-group SEM moderation tests provided evidence that the links between constructs were invariant across ethnic groups. The model explained 15.6% of variance in depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Findings support the salience of the tested depressive symptom correlates among Georgian adolescents, consistent with previous evidence from other countries. Adolescent ethnic minority status did not increase risk of depressive symptoms. Self-control emerged as the strongest correlate.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to all study participants. Data collection was supported by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SCOPES 7 GEPj065646).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA

    Magda Javakhishvili & Alexander T. Vazsonyi

  2. Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Helen Phagava & Karaman Pagava

Authors
  1. Magda Javakhishvili
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  2. Alexander T. Vazsonyi
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  3. Helen Phagava
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  4. Karaman Pagava
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Correspondence to Alexander T. Vazsonyi.

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In accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments, study participants were informed about the purpose and the voluntary nature of the anonymous study. The current study used anonymized and irreversibly de-identified secondary data.

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This article is part of the special issue “Adolescent Health in Central and Eastern Europe”.

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Javakhishvili, M., Vazsonyi, A.T., Phagava, H. et al. Depressive symptoms among adolescents in Georgia: the role of ethnicity, low self-control, parents, and peers. Int J Public Health 65, 1373–1382 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01417-z

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