Introduction or preface

- The main purpose of this paper is to study depressive characteristics in adolescents and their link with parental relationship and coping strategies. It is our aims also to analyse the influence of particiants' gender on these varaibles. Four hundred thirty-six participants (214 males; 222 females), aged fourteen to twenty-two years, were recruited. A set of were employed Depression Scale (Newcomer, Barembaum and Bryant, 1995), Parental Bonding Instrument (Parker, Tupling and Brown, 1979), Coping Strategy Indicator (Amirkhan, 1990). Depressive characteristics were related to overprotection and low parental care; depressive charachteristics, indeed, were related to coping strategies, in particular to avoidance.