Poster #204 - Developmental Correlates of Negative Emotion Differentiation in Adolescence

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Emotion differentiation (ED) refers to the ability to identify and precisely label discrete emotional states (Barrett et al., 2001). Those low on ED tend to report their emotions in broad terms of valence rather than pinpointing concrete emotions. Increasing research suggests poor differentiation of negative emotions (NEs; referred to as negative emotion differentiation; NED) relates to decreased well-being and increased psychopathology (e.g., Demiralp et al., 2012). To date, few studies have examined the developmental origins of ED. The current study investigated possible vulnerability factors contributing to difficulties with NED in adolescence. Parents and environmental context may play a role in the development of ED. Research has linked authoritarian parenting (i.e., high hostility, coercion, and psychological control) and parent-adolescent attachment (i.e., lack of responsiveness and sensitivity to affective signals) to children’s less adaptive emotion regulation (e.g., Morris et al., 2007). These studies support a model of ED development suggesting punitive or insensitive parenting behaviors in response to children’s emotional expression may teach youth to avoid and suppress, rather than understand and appropriately label and express, NEs. Moreover, parental mental health may influence the development of ED, as parents with depression may express high levels of poorly differentiated NEs that could limit children’s exposure and learning about a range of emotions, and adversely influence parenting behaviors (e.g., Halberstadt & Eaton, 2002; Dix & Meunier, 2009). As such, we hypothesize that authoritarian parenting style, parent-adolescent attachment, and parental depression will predict lower ED ability. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to examine the developmental trajectory of ED; we hypothesize ED increases with age as language abilities and conceptual knowledge about emotion increase.

Hypotheses were tested in adolescents (N=241; ages 14-17) and their parents. Parental depression was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (Spitzer et al., 1995); parents reported on authoritarian parenting style (Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire; Robinson et al., 2001) and adolescents on parent-adolescent attachment (Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment; Armsden & Greenberg, 1987). NED was derived from ratings on twelve negative mood adjectives assessed four times per day for seven consecutive days, utilizing an intensive longitudinal design. To calculate ED, average intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for NE items were calculated for each participant across all assessments (e.g., Tugade et al., 2004). ICCs were subtracted from 1.0 to reverse the score, so that lower scores reflect lower differentiation of NEs. Supporting hypotheses, NED was positively corelated with parent-adolescent attachment (r=.26, p<.001), and negatively correlated with authoritarian parenting style (r=-.16, p=.014) and parental depression (r=-.18, p=.007); these associations were retained when controlling for average intensity of negative mood. Contrary to hypotheses, but consistent with recent findings (Nook et al., 2018), NED was negatively correlated with age (r=-.24, p<.001). When these predictors were entered into a single regression model, parent-adolescent attachment (β=.22, p=.001), parental depression (β=-.13, p=.048), and age (β=-.21, p=.0011) predicted NED, but authoritarian parenting did not (p>.05). Results may improve theoretical understanding of ED, as well as inform developmentally sensitive prevention and intervention efforts.

Authors

• Zoey A Shaw, University of Rochester
  Presenting Author

• Y. Irina Li, University of Rochester
  Non-Presenting Author

• Angela Santee, University of Rochester
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachel Hershenberg, Emory University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lisa R. Starr, University of Rochester
  Non-Presenting Author