U.S. News & World Report interviews Schwartz-Mette about depression among teen girls
Rebecca Schwartz-Mette, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maine, was mentioned in the U.S. News & World Report article, “Why teen girls are at such a high risk for depression.” The risk for developing depression grows at adolescence for both girls and boys, but that risk increases much more sharply at adolescence for girls, according to Schwartz-Mette, director of the Peer Relations Lab at UMaine. “Researchers study risk factors in a variety of categories, including genetic, biological, emotional, cognitive, behavioral and social-interpersonal. Unfortunately, in many of these areas, girls have more identified risk factors,” she said. “For example, pubertal changes, negative thinking styles such as rumination and low self-esteem and some interpersonal factors are more common in girls. And the fact that girls just experience more interpersonal stress than boys may contribute to girls’ increased risk for depression.”