Experiencing Depression and Peer Rejection in Chronically Ill Adolescents

hronic illness can put adolescents at risk of such dis- orders as depression, which may lead to rejection by peers. This study compared depression and peer rejection in chronically ill and in healthy adolescents. 33 chronical- ly ill and 33 healthy students from Tehran's high schools were selected by multistage sampling method. Participants completed the Peer Rejection Questionnaire (Tah- massian, 2005) and Child Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1992). Results demonstrated a singnificant correlation between dep- ression and peer rejection (r=0.41, P=0.001). The chronic patient's averages of depression and peer rejection were higher than that of healthy students (P=0.001). There was no gender difference in depression among chronically ill stu- dents. However, chronically ill boys reported more peer re- jection than girls.