[Puberty, body image and dysfunctional attitudes: differences between boys and girls in depressive symptoms during the transition from elementary to secondary education].

The objective of this longitudinal study was to examine the emergence of differences in girls and boys in depressive symptoms during the transition from elementary to secondary school. Four hundred and ninety nine adolescents followed through the last grade of primary school and the first year of secondary school completed measures of pubertal status, body image, dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms. Results show that puberty and body image slightly mediated the relationship between sex and depressive symptoms and that dysfunctional attitudes did not mediate the relationship between puberty lived during transition to secondary school and depression. Results also demonstrate the importance of better understanding the impact of transition to secondary school on adolescents' depressive symptoms.