Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: Longitudinal Links with Maternal Empathy and Psychological Control - PubMed (original) (raw)

Lente L A A Werner et al. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2016 Aug.

Abstract

Building on self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan in Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268. doi: 10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01 , 2000), the aim of the current study was to examine the role of maternal affective and cognitive empathy in predicting adolescents' depressive symptoms, through mothers' psychological control use. Less empathic mothers may be less sensitive to adolescents' need for psychological autonomy, and thus prone to violating this need using psychological control, which may in turn predict adolescents' depressive symptoms. Moreover, according to interpersonal theory of depression (Coyne in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85, 186-193. doi: 10.1037/0021-843x.85.2.186 , 1976), adolescents' depressive symptoms may elicit rejecting responses, such as mothers' psychological control. For six waves, 497 adolescents (57 % boys, M age T1 = 13.03) annually completed questionnaires on depressive symptoms and maternal psychological control, while mothers reported on their empathy. Cross-lagged path analyses showed that throughout adolescence, both mothers' affective and cognitive empathy indirectly predicted boys' and girls' depressive symptoms, through psychological control. Additionally, depressive symptoms predicted psychological control for boys, and early adolescent girls. These results highlight the importance of (1) mothers' affective and cognitive empathy in predicting adolescents' depressive symptoms, and (2) taking gender into account when examining adolescent-effects.

Keywords: Adolescence; Depressive symptoms; Maternal empathy; Psychological control; Self-determination theory.

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Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

Unstandardized results of the longitudinal relations of EC, psychological control and depressive symptoms significant at p < 0.05. For reasons of clarity, non-significant cross-paths, within-wave correlations and stability paths are not depicted. Solid arrows indicate significant paths for boys and girls. Dotted arrows indicate significant paths for boys. Estimates are printed in bold for girls and in italic for boys. 95 % CI is shown between brackets. * Significantly different between boys and girls at p < 0.05 when comparing the 95 % CIs

Fig. 2

Fig. 2

Unstandardized results of the longitudinal relations of PT, psychological control and depressive symptoms significant at p < 0.05. For reasons of clarity, non-significant cross-paths, within-wave correlations and stability paths are not depicted. Solid arrows indicate significant paths for boys and girls. Dotted arrows indicate significant paths for boys. Estimates are printed in bold for girls and in italic for boys. 95 % CI is shown between brackets. * Significantly different between boys and girls at p < 0.05 when comparing the 95 % CIs

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