Cognitive vulnerability to depression in adolescence

Abstract The current chapter provides a review of the current theoretical and empirical literature on the development of cognitive vulnerability to depression in youth. First, cognitive formulations of risk for depression are introduced, with a particular focus on the developmental antecedents of cognitive vulnerability. The potential role of childhood emotional maltreatment and peer victimization experiences, in particular, in the development of cognitive vulnerability are discussed. This is followed by a review of empirical findings relating to how these negative early life experiences may produce neurobiological changes in the developing brain, accounting for risk for depression later in life. The more modest research literature on neural correlates of cognitive vulnerability for depression is also discussed. Finally, this review ends with a consideration of important directions for future research in this area.