ERIC Number: EJ1012633
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1537-4416
EISSN: N/A
Maternal Parenting Behaviors and Adolescent Depression: The Mediating Role of Rumination
Gate, Michael A.; Watkins, Edward R.; Simmons, Julian G.; Byrne, Michelle L.; Schwartz, Orli S.; Whittle, Sarah; Sheeber, Lisa B.; Allen, Nicholas B.
Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, v42 n3 p348-357 2013
Substantial evidence suggests that rumination is an important vulnerability factor for adolescent depression. Despite this, few studies have examined environmental risk factors that might lead to rumination and, subsequently, depression in adolescence. This study examined the hypothesis that an adverse family environment is a risk factor for rumination, such that the tendency to ruminate mediates the longitudinal association between a negative family environment and adolescent depressive symptoms. It also investigated adolescent gender as a moderator of the relationship between family environment and adolescent rumination. Participants were 163 mother-adolescent dyads. Adolescents provided self-reports of depressive symptoms and rumination across three waves of data collection (approximately at ages 12, 15, and 17 years). Family environment was measured via observational assessment of the frequency of positive and aggressive parenting behaviors during laboratory-based interactions completed by mother-adolescent dyads, collected during the first wave. A bootstrap analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of low levels of positive maternal behavior on adolescent depressive symptoms via adolescent rumination, suggesting that rumination might mediate the relationship between low levels of positive maternal behavior and depressive symptoms for girls. This study highlights the importance of positive parenting behaviors as a possible protective factor against the development of adolescent rumination and, subsequently, depressive symptoms. One effective preventive approach to improving adolescent mental health may be providing parents with psychoeducation concerning the importance of pleasant and affirming interactions with their children. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.)
Descriptors: Child Rearing, Depression (Psychology), Parenting Styles, Family Environment, Hypothesis Testing, At Risk Persons, Adolescents, Mothers, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Age Differences, Observation, Interaction, Parent Child Relationship, Psychological Patterns, Grade 6, Foreign Countries, Problem Solving, Emotional Response, Socioeconomic Status, Aggression, Gender Differences, Predictor Variables, Longitudinal Studies
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 6
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A