Early detection and measurement of the intensity of childhood depression are important concerns for those treating depressed children. To examine issues of childhood depression, a review of the research was conducted which focused on: (1) childhood depression scales and their effectiveness; (2) correlates and antecedents of childhood depression; and (3) environmental supports of invulnerable children. The first issue--related to childhood depression scales--is represented by two research projects. (1) In a study by Poznanski, Cook, Carroll, and Corzo (1983), the Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) was used to test 30 children in a psychiatric hospital. The results found that the CDRS did measure the severity of depression in the children. (2) In a study by Rotundo and Hensley (1985), the Children's Depression Scale (CDS) and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were administered to 84 children in a psychiatric unit. The results endorsed the validity of the CDS to discriminate between different patient groups, and the CDI was also endorsed. The second issue (the correlates and antecedents of childhood depression) is represented by three studies: (1) Sacco and Graves (1984); (2) Billings and Moos (1983); and (3) Kaslow, Rehm, and Stiegel (1984). These studies found common antecedents of childhood depression which included childhoods lacking affection, burdened with resentment, and exhibiting problems in communication. Depressive children were also found to exhibit negative cognitive attributions similar to those of depressive adults. The third issue is treated in an article by Robinson and Fields (1983) in which two case studies of invulnerable children suggest that, in order to avoid the development of a depressive outlook and to foster self-esteem, a supportive environment or at least one significant other is needed to provide support, encouragement, and positive regard. (NB)