Gothenburg, March 13 -- More teenagers report good mental health, but those who are struggling rate their depressive symptoms much higher than prior cohorts did at the same age, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg.

The study examined changes in how young teenagers in Sweden rated their depressive symptoms over two decades.

Researchers compared two groups of 13-16-year-olds: one from 2004 and one from 2019-2020. Both groups rated their depressive symptoms using the internationally established Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), a self-report assessment.

The results show that the overall proportion of adolescents reporting depressive symptoms increased from 21 percent in 2004 to 29 percent in 2019-2020--an increase ...