Differences in Emotion Socialization Processes Between Mothers of Healthy and Depressed Adolescents

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

In recent years, rates of depression in adolescents have risen significantly (Mojtabai, Olfson, & Han, 2016). Previous literature has identified risk factors that may influence the development of adolescent depression, including maternal depression (Goodman & Gotlib, 1999). Studies have also examined the importance of emotion socialization processes during adolescence (Klimes-Dougan et al., 2007). However, little research has examined differences in emotion socialization processes between mothers of healthy and depressed adolescents. We hypothesized that 1) depressed adolescents would have mothers with higher depressive symptoms as compared to healthy adolescents, 2) maternal depressive symptoms would be associated with adolescent depressive symptoms, and 3) depressed adolescents would have mothers with more negative and less positive responses to their children’s negative emotions as compared to healthy adolescents.

Participants included 64 adolescents (N = 32 healthy, 32 depressed) and their mothers. Participants were 9-17-year-olds (M = 14.41, SD = 1.86) and primarily female (46 female). Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (Rush et al., 2003). The severity of adolescents’ depressive symptoms was measured using the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (Costello & Angold, 1988). Finally, parental responses to children’s negative emotions (i.e., supportive, magnifying, neglecting, punishing) were assessed by the adolescent and compiled into negative and positive strategy composites using the Emotions as a Child Scale (Klimes-Dougan et al., 2001). Data were analyzed in SPSS.

Results indicated that depressed adolescents had mothers with higher levels of depressive symptoms as compared to healthy adolescents, t(50)= -4.87, p < .001. A linear regression revealed that higher maternal depressive symptoms were significantly associated with higher children’s depressive symptoms (R2 = .31, β = .59, t(1,49)= 4.70, p < .001), even when controlling for family income. Additional analyses indicated that depressed adolescents reported that their mothers had more negative (t(54)= -2.34, p = .03) and less positive (t(54)= 2.76, p = .01) responses to their negative emotions relative to healthy adolescents. Specifically, depressed adolescents reported more magnifying responses (t(54)= -3.57, p =. 001) and neglecting responses (t(54)= -2.67, p = .01) and less supportive responses (t(54)= 2.57, p = .01) as compared to healthy adolescents. There were no significant group differences for punishing responses to adolescent’s negative emotions.

These results support the hypotheses that depressed adolescents may experience mothers exhibiting higher depressive symptoms as compared to their healthy adolescent counterparts. As hypothesized, depressed adolescents may also experience more negative and less positive maternal responses to their negative emotions relative to healthy adolescents, which is consistent with extant research on maternal responses to children’s positive emotions (Katz et al., 2014). This may be attributed to how depressed mothers are already experiencing difficulties regulating their own positive and negative emotions, which in turn may make it challenging to communicate adaptive emotion socialization strategies to their adolescents. Results suggest that parent-child dyads may benefit from intervention efforts focused on developing emotion socialization strategies that not only decrease magnifying and neglecting responses, but also increase supportive responses to negative emotions, particularly for depressed adolescents.

Authors

• Kayley Morrow, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Danielle LaPierre, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Quyen B. Do, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer S. Silk, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author