Depression, along with anxiety, is one of the most common mental health disorders in children and adolescents. Many studies warn of the high prevalence of depression in childhood and adolescence. Studies performed in schools to assess severe depression indicate prevalence rates in Spain close to 4% in the early ages (8-12 years) and above (4.3% -6.5%) in adolescence. People suffering depression in childhood and adolescence are more likely to have major depression or persistent depressive disorder during adulthood. Also, there is possibility that suicides occurs when a child is depressed. Suicide rates among young people have increased, and suicide is now the second leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds. Suicidal ideation varies with age, with percentages up to 16% in children (6-12 years), and 13% in adolescents (15-17 years). Therefore, depression during childhood and adolescence is a public health problem, and requires studies to identify variables that are useful both for its prevention and for its therapeutic intervention. With this contextualization, the first paper analyzes the role of temperament in the predictive relationship between victimization by peers and depressive symptomatology in adolescence. The second one evaluates the presence of depressive symptomatology in a sample of children aged 10-12 years, analyzing their relationship with maladaptation and emotional states. The third one, with a sample of participants between 10-16 years, focuses on how breeding interacts with depression and aggression and what evolution it takes. The last study, using a sample of 7-10 year-old children, explores the prevalence of mild and severe childhood depression, analyzing whether there are differences in their connections with adaptive (self-concept, social skills, resilience ...) and clinical (emotional, behavioral problems, child stress ...) variables. 

Maite Garaigordobil Landazabal holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, she is a Specialist in Clinical Psychology and a Full Professor of Psychological Assessment and Diagnosis in the Psychology Faculty of the University of the Basque Country. Her teaching and research activity has revolved around topics related to psychological intervention in educational contexts and the development of psychological assessment instruments for children, adolescents, and adults. Within her contributions to children-adolescent intervention, the creation of five intervention programs for children and adolescents, aimed at enhancing social-emotional development and improving coexistence, is noteworthy. These psychological intervention programs have been experimentally validated, showing their effectiveness to promote socio-emotional development and prevent violence: “Game Programs”, “Psychological intervention program for adolescents", and “Cyberprogram 2.0. An intervention program to prevent and reduce bullying and cyberbullying during adolescence” (Pirámide Editions, 2003-2014). Among the latest assessment instruments she has created are: The  Drawing of 2 Human Figures Test (TEA, 2009), The Adjective Checklist for the Assessment of Self-concept" (TEA, 2011), The Screening of Emotional Problems and Behavior (TEA, 2012), and Cyberbullying: a Screening of peer bullying to measure bullying and cyberbullying (TEA, 2013). She has directed various research projects, Since 2007, she has coordinated the Consolidated Research Group “Psychological Assessment: Design of instruments and assessment of intervention programs and epidemiological applications,” financed by the Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government. She is currently chairing the project "Prevention of depressive symptomatology program for schoolchildren between 8 and 9 years of age" funded by the Alicia Koplowitz Foundation (FP-15/62, 2015-2017). She is the author of 29 books, 60 chapters, and more than 140 articles of research published in journals of recognized national and international prestige. Among others, she was awarded the First National Award of Educational Research in 1994 and 2003, granted by the Ministry of Education and Science; in 2012, she received the Nicolás Seisdedos Prize for the best Research Work in Psychological Assessment.