Association between coping with anger and feelings of depression among youths

Objectives. I examined the association, among youths, between coping behavior when angry and depression. Methods. Data were drawn from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children in the United States survey (n=9938). Factor analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between self-reported coping behavior when angry and depression. Gender-specific models were run. Results. Factor analysis of 11 coping behaviors indicated a 4-factor solution: substance use, physical activity, emotional coping behavior, and aggressive behavior. Substance use, emotional coping, and aggressive behavior coping were associated with increased likelihood of depression, whereas physical activity was associated with decreased likelihood of depression. Male youths were more likely to engage in physical activity and were less likely to feel depressed. Conclusions. These data provide preliminary evidence of a link between specific coping behavior when angry and the likelihood of depression among youths. Whether these associations may be useful in identifying youths at risk for depression cannot be determined from these data alone but may be an important area for future study.