Poster #143 - Maternal Affective Psychopathology and Parenting: Applying the Tripartite Model of Depression and Anxiety

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Parental affective psychopathology has long been associated with dysfunctional parenting, which, in turn, places children at an increased risk for many developmental problems (Goodman et al., 2011). Most of the relevant studies, however, have ignored the substantial overlap between symptoms of depression and anxiety. Consequently, they have generally failed to map possible unique associations between those symptoms and specific parenting characteristics. Clark and Watson’s (1991) tripartite model that delineated common (negative emotionality) and unique features of depression and anxiety (anhedonia and hyperarousal, respectively), may serve as a useful framework to re-examine links between affective psychopathology and parenting. A review of existing studies suggests that certain qualities of parenting (e.g., affect expressed during interactions with the child) may be due to the common component of negative emotionality. Other qualities, however, such as power-assertive control or intrusive control, may be uniquely associated with depression and anxiety, respectively. To discern those potential unique associations, research needs to assess all three constructs (negative emotionality, depression, and anxiety) with well-established clinical instruments, and examine them all simultaneously as predictors of equally robustly assessed, observed and self-reported measures of parenting.

We will illustrate the utility of this framework using examples from a study of 186 diverse, exclusively low-SES mother-child dyads, assessed four times between toddler and early school age. Mothers’ negative emotionality, the proposed common characteristic shared by depression and anxiety, and their depression and anxiety were measured at the entry to the study. Negative emotionality was assessed with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality – 2nd Ed. (SNAP-2; Clark, 2003); depression and anxiety were assessed with the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS, Watson et al., 2007; general depression and social anxiety scales, respectively).

Multi-method measures of parenting encompassed laboratory observations of maternal positive affect at the first assessment (60 minutes of mother-child interactions, coded every 30 seconds); power-assertive control, coded and averaged across all four assessments (Cronbach’s alpha .61; 280 minutes in contexts encompassing toy cleanups and prohibition to touch attractive toys); and spanking (alpha .85) and threatening (alpha .81), both self-reported and averaged across all assessments.

As expected, maternal negative emotionality, depression, and anxiety were inter-correlated (all rs above .47, all ps < .001). To test the tripartite framework, in hierarchical multiple regressions, we entered negative emotionality first, followed by depression and anxiety, covarying children’s gender. Overall, preliminary evidence supported the promise and utility of this framework. Negative emotionality (but not depression or anxiety) uniquely predicted decreased positive affect (β = -.233, p < .05). Depression (but not negative emotionality or anxiety) uniquely predicted harsh discipline (more observed power assertion, β = .252, p < .01; more self-reported spanking, β = .213, p < .05; and more threatening, β = .224, p < .05). We have not found unique effects of maternal anxiety, perhaps because we did not code intrusive parenting.

Overall, the integration of the tripartite model with research on parenting may provide promising directions for future research and better inform specific interventions for parents with affective psychopathology.

Authors

• Kathryn C Goffin, University of Iowa
  Presenting Author

• Grazyna Kochanska, The University of Iowa
  Non-Presenting Author