Associations between witnessing parental domestic violence and experiencing depressive symptoms in Filipino adolescents

Objectives. We examined the association between 2 important public health problems in the developing world: parental domestic violence and depressive symptoms during adolescence. Methods. Data on depressive symptoms and witnessing of domestic violence were obtained during private face-to-face interviews conducted in 2002 with 2051 Filipino adolescents 17-19 years of age. Results. Symptoms of depression were common; 11% of young men and 19% of young women reported wishing that they were dead occasionally or most of the time, and nearly half of all respondents recalled parental domestic violence. Female adolescents had significantly higher scores than male adolescents on a 12-item index of depressive symptoms. Both male and female adolescents who had witnessed parental domestic violence reported more depressive symptoms. Conclusions. Filipino adolescents who have witnessed parental domestic violence are significantly more likely to report depressive symptoms.