INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
EXTENDED ESSAY
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES PARENTING AND SCHOOLING AFFECT THE
VULNERABILITY OF DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER?
SUBJECT: PSYCHOLOGY
WORD COUNT: 3995
1
,Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3
Role of Parenting on the Vulnerability to Depression of Adolescents with ASD ............... 4
Parental Psychological distress............................................................................................. 5
Parental Involvement ............................................................................................................. 7
Role of Schooling in the Vulnerability to Depression of Adolescents with ASD ................ 9
Academic learning ............................................................................................................... 10
Social Relationships ............................................................................................................. 12
Other Influences on the Vulnerability to Depression of Adolescents with ASD .............. 15
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 17
2
, Introduction
Depression is an experience of changes from a healthy mood to a depressed state of
individuals. The mental disorder has been identified as the third largest public health burden
around the world and one of the most significant mental disorder among youth’s population in
the United States (Kringlen, Trgerson & Cramer, 2001). Among the 24.9 million youth
population aging from 12 to 17 in the United States, 2.7 million of adolescents have
experienced a depressive episode in the past year (Lipari et al., 2013).
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a broad spectrum of lifelong developmental
disabilities, including features such as difficulties in communicating with others, issues with
relating to people and objects and repetitive behaviors. A recent population-derived study
found that 70% of autistic adolescents had a comorbid mental illness (De Bruin et al., 2012).
It was found that ASD is related to the increased prevalence of depression (Howlin, 1997).
Adolescents with ASD, are shown to have a higher rate at 37% of depression in adolescents
compared to only about 5% of adolescents without this mental disorder, due to the increase in
social sensitivity of individuals during this developmental stage (Simonoff et al., 2008).
Adolescence is a transitional stage responsible for the physical and psychological development
of individuals, where they have unstable emotional states and social relationships that widely
fluctuates. As a result, it is meaningful to make investigations on the vulnerabilities leading to
depression as rates of depression remain high for adolescents with ASD.
Evidence has shown that genetic factors alone only have limited effects on the overall
risk of depression, while environmental factors are more likely to match with multiple genetic
factors to develop this mental disorder (Robertson & Simons, 1989). Among the considerations
of different factors, parenting and schooling were found to have the most significant impact on
3
EXTENDED ESSAY
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES PARENTING AND SCHOOLING AFFECT THE
VULNERABILITY OF DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER?
SUBJECT: PSYCHOLOGY
WORD COUNT: 3995
1
,Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3
Role of Parenting on the Vulnerability to Depression of Adolescents with ASD ............... 4
Parental Psychological distress............................................................................................. 5
Parental Involvement ............................................................................................................. 7
Role of Schooling in the Vulnerability to Depression of Adolescents with ASD ................ 9
Academic learning ............................................................................................................... 10
Social Relationships ............................................................................................................. 12
Other Influences on the Vulnerability to Depression of Adolescents with ASD .............. 15
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 17
2
, Introduction
Depression is an experience of changes from a healthy mood to a depressed state of
individuals. The mental disorder has been identified as the third largest public health burden
around the world and one of the most significant mental disorder among youth’s population in
the United States (Kringlen, Trgerson & Cramer, 2001). Among the 24.9 million youth
population aging from 12 to 17 in the United States, 2.7 million of adolescents have
experienced a depressive episode in the past year (Lipari et al., 2013).
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a broad spectrum of lifelong developmental
disabilities, including features such as difficulties in communicating with others, issues with
relating to people and objects and repetitive behaviors. A recent population-derived study
found that 70% of autistic adolescents had a comorbid mental illness (De Bruin et al., 2012).
It was found that ASD is related to the increased prevalence of depression (Howlin, 1997).
Adolescents with ASD, are shown to have a higher rate at 37% of depression in adolescents
compared to only about 5% of adolescents without this mental disorder, due to the increase in
social sensitivity of individuals during this developmental stage (Simonoff et al., 2008).
Adolescence is a transitional stage responsible for the physical and psychological development
of individuals, where they have unstable emotional states and social relationships that widely
fluctuates. As a result, it is meaningful to make investigations on the vulnerabilities leading to
depression as rates of depression remain high for adolescents with ASD.
Evidence has shown that genetic factors alone only have limited effects on the overall
risk of depression, while environmental factors are more likely to match with multiple genetic
factors to develop this mental disorder (Robertson & Simons, 1989). Among the considerations
of different factors, parenting and schooling were found to have the most significant impact on
3
