Mechanisms underlying the association between excessively valuing happiness and depressive symptoms among adolescents

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Research indicates that placing excessive value on happiness is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms in adults (Mauss, Tamir, Anderson, & Savino, 2011) and youth (Gentzler, Palmer, Ford, Moran, & Mauss, 2019). Ford and Mauss (2014) propose that people who excessively value happiness may have unrealistically high expectations about how much they should be happy (Schooler, Ariely, & Loewenstein, 2003) or may pursue happiness in ineffective ways (Gentzler, Palmer, & Ramsey, 2016). Because only one study has reported on excessively valuing happiness in youth (Gentzler et al., 2019) and no research has examined mediating mechanisms, the current project advances this research by testing multiple mediators in a large sample of adolescents. Building on prior research, we hypothesized that people who excessively value their happiness may exhibit higher levels of depressive symptoms because they a) are not meeting their happiness expectations to a greater degree, b) using more maladaptive or less adaptive positive emotion regulation (ER) strategies (i.e., more dampening or less savoring), and c) internalize their failed happiness goals and report lower self-esteem.
The sample was 311 9th graders (Mage = 15.14, SD = .47; 52.9% female) who were recruited through high schools and the community in the southeastern U.S. Adolescents completed surveys on excessively valuing happiness (Mauss et al., 2011), depressive symptoms (Children’s Depression Inventory – II; Kovacs, 2015), happiness discrepancy (a difference score computed from how frequently they want to be happy minus how frequently they are happy), savoring (ER strategies that up-regulate or maintain positive affect) and dampening (ER that decreases positive affect; Gentzler & Ramsey, 2016), and self-esteem (Rosenberg, 1965).
Correlations indicated that the variables were related in expected ways. Importantly, excessively valuing happiness was associated with higher depressive symptoms (Table 1). A multiple mediation model was conducted using Process (Hayes, 2013), while controlling for gender because girls reported more depressive symptoms than boys, t(324.12)=-5.21, p<.001). The model was significant, R2 = .66, F = 98.25, p < .001. Valuing happiness was significantly related to 3 mediators (happiness discrepancy, dampening, and self-esteem), but was unrelated to savoring (Figure 1). These three variables (a higher happiness discrepancy, more dampening, and lower self-esteem) also predicted more depressive symptoms, and significantly indirectly linked valuing happiness and depressive symptoms: Bself-esteem = 1.31, SE = .31 95% CI = .73, 1.95; Bdampening = .17, SE = .09 95% CI = .01, .37; Bhappiness-discrepancy = .60, SE = .16 95% CI = .32, .93.
The findings suggest that adolescents who excessively value happiness are not meeting their expectations, more often dampen positive affect, and have lower self-esteem. For instance, unrealistic standards of happiness contribute to individuals falling short of expectations, resulting in negative emotions (Ford, in press). Overall, this study helps to explain why adolescents who excessively value happiness have higher depressive symptoms. Although cross-sectional, this study can inform prevention efforts by identifying routes through which maladaptive happiness beliefs may set adolescents up for depression, which is a critical endeavor, given high rates of depression among high school students today.

Authors

• Yeawon Park, West Virginia University
  Presenting Author

• Tyia Wilson, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emma Shaffer, West Virginia University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brett Ford, University of Toronto
  Non-Presenting Author

• Iris Mauss, University of California, Berkeley
  Non-Presenting Author

• Amy L Gentzler, West Virginia University
  Non-Presenting Author