Course of Juvenile Depressive Disorders After Psychiatric Inpatient Treatment – A Follow-Up Study

Abstract: Objective: Depression is among the most common disorders in adolescence and is closely linked to sleep behavior and quality of life. Long-term studies examining the course of depressive symptoms after inpatient treatment are scarce. The present study investigated changes in depressive symptoms among adolescents following inpatient treatment, focusing on associations with sleep-wake rhythm and subjective quality of life. Method: The sample comprised n = 38 adolescents ( Mage = 18.63, SDage = 1.71; 85.4 % female) who had previously been hospitalized for a depressive disorder. The follow-up study spanned 5 years, during which sociodemographic data as well as the values from the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and the KIDSCREEN were collected annually online. Results: Significant reductions in depressive symptoms and increases in life satisfaction were observed between follow-up II and the catamnesis assessment. BDI-II and MEQ scores were significantly correlated, whereas changes in depressive symptoms were not associated with alterations in sleep behavior. The MEQ indicated a significant shift in chronotype from eveningness to morningness over time. Conclusion: Symptom improvement was evident at the catamnesis timepoint. Due to the small sample size, no generalizable conclusions can be drawn. Further follow-up studies are needed to examine symptom trajectories after inpatient treatment.