Depression in high-ability vs. typically developing adolescents: A symptom- and disorder-level analysis

High-ability adolescents are recognized to show high intellectual cognition and creativity. Yet they are not immune to mental health issues. It is believed that these adolescents may also experience a range of mental health problems, including depression. However, depression among high-ability adolescents has received inconsistent research attention. This study addresses a critical gap in understanding depression among high ability and typically developing adolescents from both the disorder level and the symptom level. The sample of this study included 3955 adolescents from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the UK, and the Netherlands, with 1162 high-ability adolescents, 2227 male adolescents, 1985 Western adolescents, aged from 12 to 18 (M_age=16.19, SD = 1.62). Participants’ depressive symptoms were measured. For the disorder level, a two-way ANCOVA was performed to explore the effects of high ability, gender, and culture on the overall depression. For the symptom level, network analysis was conducted to construct depression networks in high-ability and typically developing adolescents. Additionally, network comparison was performed to explore the disparity in depression networks between high-ability and typically developing adolescents. The ANCOVA results showed that high-ability, female, and Western adolescents had higher levels of depression than their counterparts, and the interaction effect of high ability and gender was significant. The network analysis revealed feeling depressed and self-deprecation were core symptoms for both groups, and losing interest was the unique core symptom for the high-ability group while feeling tired was the unique core symptom for the typically developing group. The identification of core symptoms specific to high-ability versus typically developing adolescents provides clinically relevant insights for tailored interventions. The cross-cultural design spanning Eastern and Western populations also adds significant value to the international applicability of findings. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s).