Journal of Depression and Anxiety
Open Access

Abstract

Depressive Disorders in a Clinical Population of Children and Adolescents with High Intellectual Potential

Solenn Kermarrec*, Jacques-Henri Guignard, Sylvie Tordjman*

Objectives: To examine extensively the relationships between High Intellectual Potential (HIP) and depression in large samples of children using clear definitions of HIP, different observational sources and specific assessments of depression. Methods: HIP (N=256, full-Wechsler scale IQ score ≥ 130) and non-HIP (N=676, full-Wechsler scale IQ score<130) groups of children with behavioral, psychological and/or school difficulties were compared using assessments of depression across different observations/settings (psychiatric, parental, and child’s self-report evaluations). Results: HIP and non-HIP groups did not differ significantly for depression regardless of observational sources. However, according to parental observation, there were significantly more depressed children with high Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI ≥ 130) than expected. Moreover, based on children’s self-evaluation, total Multiscore Depression Inventory for Children (MDI-C) scores were significantly lower in children with high Working Memory Index (WMI ≥ 130) or Processing Speed Index (PSI ≥ 130). Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of using multiple observational sources and conducting analyses on different dimensions of intellectual functioning (such as memory, verbal language or processing speed), beyond only full-scale IQ scores. The significant positive association found in this study between depression and VCI suggests that high verbal potential is associated with a greater capacity to express depressive mood. Conversely, depressive mood may lead to defense mechanisms to prevent depressive collapse, through a need to control verbal language with an overinvestment of this domain. Furthermore, the negative associations between total MDI-C scores and WMI or PSI might be explained by bradypsychia (a psychological slow-down frequently observed in depression). Bradypsychia can have deleterious effects on short-term memory measured by WMI and on processing speed measured by PSI. According to these findings, depression should definitively be assessed in children and adolescents with HIP and difficulties given that high VCI, observed in this population, was positively associated with depression. Early detection of depressive symptoms in this population can help provide on time the required therapeutic and educative care to prevent cognitive inhibition and later chronic depressive disorders.

Published Date: 2024-12-31; Received Date: 2024-12-07