Objectives: This study examined the predictors of adolescent depression and its developmental trajectory.
Methods: This study used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to investigate the changes in depression
during the transition into adolescence. Using the Korea Youth Panel Survey(KYPS), data were collected
over the course of five years from subjects who, at the beginning of the study, were in fourth grade. For
this study, parental knowledge and adolescent disclosure were considered time-invariant predictors of
depression as well as time-variant variables. Results: The researcher found a significant mean increase in
depression over time, with the data following a linear trend. Gender, parental knowledge, and adolescent
disclosure had significant effects on the initial status of depression. In addition, family structure, gender,
and parental knowledge were found to affect changes in the rate of depression, and the evolution of both
parental knowledge and adolescent disclosure were related to the evolution of depression. Conclusions:
These results imply that parental knowledge and adolescent disclosure need to be emphasized as strategies
for preventing and alleviating adolescent depression.