Perceived Parenting,Self-Esteem,and Depressive Symptoms in Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Adolescents in Italy: A Multigroup Path Analysis

Previous research has shown that a warm and caring parental style is associated with better psychological adjustment in adolescents from diverse cultural contexts. Yet, the differential role of mothers and fathers in adolescents’ depressive symptoms is still understudied, especially among immigrant populations. This study examined the relationship between perceived care from both mother and father and depressive symptoms among adolescents with and without a migration background, postulating mediation by self-esteem. Participants were 686 first-generation immigrant (44?% girls) and 1295 non-immigrant (46?% girls) Italian adolescents aged 14–20 years, who completed a questionnaire survey. Multigroup path analyses controlling for age, gender, and SES showed that (a) perceived maternal and paternal care and self-esteem were negatively related to depressive symptoms in both groups; (b) self-esteem mediated the link between perceived parenting and youth depressive symptoms in both groups; (c) the direct and indirect effects were invariant across the two groups. Results suggest that involved fathers, just as much as mothers, contribute to adolescents’ positive adjustment irrespective of immigrant status. Interventions may focus on the enhancement of self-esteem as well as the perceived quality of attachment to both mother and father, shifting away from risk models towards more positive youth development models.     

Racial Discrimination and African American Adolescents’ Adjustment: Gender Variation in Family and Community Social Support, Promotive and Protective Factors

The current investigation explores the promotive and protective role of family and community-specific social support on the association between perceived racial discrimination and African American adolescents’ adjustment (e.g., depressive symptoms, school suspensions, school engagement). One thousand nine-hundred forty-two African American adolescents (ages 12–18, M = 15.12; SD = 1.83; 59 % female) from a large Midwestern city participated in this investigation. Regression analyses revealed that perceived racial discrimination was associated with less positive adjustment outcomes for boys and girls. Additionally, there was partial support for gender variation in the promotive role of social support and adolescent adjustment. In particular, while only maternal support was associated with boys’ adjustment, both maternal and paternal support was associated with girls’ adjustment. Also, there was partial support for gender differentiation in the strength and directionality of protective factors. Though in an unpredicted direction, father support moderated the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and girls’ adjustment. Community supports (religious connection and mentor presence) emerged as protective factors for boys’. Findings highlight the role of gender in understanding potential promotive and protective factors for African American adolescents.     

Maternal Criticism and Adolescent Depressive and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms: A 6-Year Longitudinal Community Study

This 6-year longitudinal study examined the direction of effects (i.e., parent effects, child effects, or reciprocal effects) between maternal criticism and adolescent depressive and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms, including adolescents’ perceptions of criticism as a potential mediator. Consistent with recent empirical findings on associations between parenting and adolescent internalizing symptoms, we hypothesized stronger child effects than parent effects. A community sample of 497 adolescents (M _age?=?13.03 at T₁, 57 % boys) reported annually on their depressive and GAD symptoms as well as their perceptions of parental criticism. Their mothers (M _age?=?44.41 at T₁) also reported annually on their own critical behavior toward their adolescent. As expected, cross-lagged panel models demonstrated stronger child effects (i.e., adolescent psychopathology predicting maternal criticism) than parent effects (i.e., maternal criticism predicting adolescent psychopathology) for both adolescent depressive and GAD symptoms, including adolescent perceived criticism as a significant mediator. Our results emphasize the importance of considering (1) potential bidirectional influences over time, contrary to a focus on parent effects on adolescent mental health, as well as (2) adolescent perceptions of parenting as an important potential mediator in associations between aspects of the parent-adolescent relationship and adolescent internalizing psychopathological symptoms.     

Paternal Postnatal and Subsequent Mental Health Symptoms and Child Socio‐Emotional and Behavioural Problems at School Entry

Research on the effect of paternal mental health problems, particularly on young children, is based predominantly on clinical levels of depression. Furthermore, potential mediators such as marital discord have often been overlooked. This longitudinal community study assessed the association between paternal mental health symptoms in a community sample (N = 705) assessed at 3 months postnatally (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and 36 months (General Health Questionnaire) and children's socio‐emotional and behavioural problems at 51 months (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) as reported by mother, father and teacher. Controlling for socioeconomic status and maternal mental health symptoms at 3 and 36 months, paternal postnatal depressive symptoms predicted more father‐reported child problems at 51 months but, in contrast to previous findings, not mother‐reported problems. Paternal mental health symptoms at 36 months predicted both maternal and paternal reports of child problems at 51 months controlling for both paternal and maternal postnatal symptoms. Paternal mental health symptoms at 3 and 36 months were not significant predictors of teacher‐reported child problems. Postnatal marital discord and paternal mental health problems at 36 months both mediated the relationship between paternal postnatal symptoms and later child emotional and behavioural problems. Child gender did not moderate the relationship. Implications for interventions are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of Father-Adolescent and Mother-Adolescent Relationships on Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Early Adolescents

Parent–adolescent relationships play an important role in protecting adolescents from depressive symptoms. However, there are no consistent conclusions about the extent to which fathers and mothers uniquely contribute to adolescents’ depressive symptoms. The present study aimed to acquire knowledge in this research area in two ways. First, this study separated the potential impacts of father–child and mother–child relationships on depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. Second, this study used a longitudinal design with nationally representative samples from the China Education Panel Survey. A total of 8794 middle school students in grade 7 completed measures of father–adolescent and mother–adolescent relationships, and depressive symptoms twice (T1 and T2; one-year interval). Results indicated that both positive father–adolescent and mother–adolescent relationships had negative effects on depressive symptoms in female adolescents. However, positive father-adolescent, not mother-adolescent, relationships had a negative effect on depressive symptoms in male adolescents. These findings suggest that positive parent–adolescent relationships could reduce early adolescents’ depressive symptoms, but positive father–adolescent and mother–adolescent relationships might have different protective effects on early adolescents’ depressive symptoms among male and female adolescents in China.

     

Perceived Parental Anxiety and Depressive Problems and Emerging Adult Oppositional Defiant Problems: Moderated Mediation by Psychological and Physical Maltreatment and Gender

Recent studies have argued that Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) problems continue into emerging adulthood; however, few studies have examined ODD problems in this population. Moreover, previous studies have found that corporal punishment mediated the relationship between maternal anxiety/depression and child ODD problems in young children and that parental psychopathology is likely to affect child ODD. This study examined how maternal as well as paternal maltreatment (i.e., psychological and physical) mediated the relationship between parental anxiety/depressive problems and emerging adult ODD problems (i.e., irritability and defiance). Furthermore, child and parent gender were examined as moderators (i.e., moderated mediation). Participants included 1,012 emerging adults who completed questionnaires about parental psychological and physical maltreatment, parental anxiety and depression, and affective and behavioral ODD symptoms. Results suggested that mediation occurred for the father–daughter dyad along the perceived paternal depressive problems → psychological and physical maltreatment → irritability paths and for the mother–son dyad along the perceived maternal depressive and anxiety problems → psychological maltreatment → defiance paths. Given that mediation occurred for only these gender dyads, moderated mediation was suggested.     

Maternal and Paternal Predictors of Child Depressive Symptoms: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Framework

Family members are theorized to influence each other via transactional or systems related processes; however, the literature is limited given its focus on mother–child relationships and the utilization of statistical approaches that do not model interdependence within family members. The current study evaluated associations between self-reported parental affect, parenting behavior, and child depressive symptoms among 103 mother–father–child triads. Children ranged in age from 8 to 12 years. Higher maternal negative affect was associated with greater maternal and paternal harsh/negative parenting behavior. While maternal negative affect was directly associated with child depressive symptoms, paternal negative affect was indirectly associated with child depressive symptoms via paternal harsh/negative behavior. In a separate model, maternal positive affect was indirectly associated with child depressive symptoms via maternal supportive/positive behavior. These results highlight the importance of simultaneously modeling maternal and paternal characteristics as predictors of child depressive symptoms.     

Parental Monitoring and Adolescent Risk Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Adolescent Internalizing Symptoms and Gender

Parental monitoring can reduce adolescents’ engagement in risky behaviors; however, adolescents’ internalizing symptoms may alter the effectiveness of parental monitoring. The current study examines independent and interactive effects of maternal and paternal monitoring, adolescent’s internalizing symptoms, and adolescent gender on sexual behaviors and substance use with data from 659 of the 15-year-olds enrolled in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Results suggest girls who experienced less maternal monitoring and more internalizing symptoms—both independently and interactively—engaged in more risky sexual behaviors. Greater substance use was associated with less maternal and paternal monitoring for girls and boys, more internalizing symptoms for girls, and interactively with less maternal and paternal monitoring depending on girls’ levels of internalizing symptoms. The current study highlights the unique influences of mothers’ and fathers’ monitoring efforts on adolescent risky behavior based on the adolescent’s level of internalizing symptoms.     

Maladaptive perfectionism as an intervening variable between psychological control and adolescent depressive symptoms: a three-wave longitudinal study.

Maladaptive perfectionism has been postulated as an intervening variable between psychologically controlling parenting and adolescent internalizing problems. Although this hypothesis has been confirmed in a number of cross-sectional studies, it has not yet been examined from a longitudinal perspective. Findings from this 3-wave longitudinal study show that parental psychological control (as indexed by parent and adolescent reports) at age 15 years predicted increased levels of maladaptive perfectionism 1 year later. Maladaptive perfectionism, in turn, predicted increased levels of adolescent depressive symptoms again 1 year later and acted as a significant intervening variable between parental psychological control at Time 1 and depressive symptoms at Time 3. Multigroup analyses show that the model tested was consistent across gender for paternal psychological control but not for maternal psychological control. Suggestions for future research are outlined.     

Maternal depression and dyadic interaction: the role of maternal attachment style

Maternal mental health and the contents of her representational world are important determinants of early parent–child relationship. We examined, first, the role of prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms and maternal attachment style in predicting the quality of mother–child interaction. Second, we analysed whether the secure‐autonomous attachment style can protect the dyadic interaction from the negative effects of maternal depression. The participants were 59 mother–infant pairs examined during pregnancy (T1), 4–5 months postpartum (T2) and when the children were approximately 14 months old (T3). Maternal attachment style was assessed with a modified Adult Attachment Interview ‐procedure, depressive symptoms with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and observed mother–child interaction with Care Index. The results show that autonomous mothers were more sensitive and responsive and their children more co‐operative than dyads with dismissing maternal attachment style. As hypothesized, mothers with the combination of both prenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms were highly unresponsive in their dyadic interaction. Further, prenatal depressive symptoms had a stronger impact on maternal unresponsiveness than postnatal symptoms. As hypothesized, mother's autonomous attachment style protected the mother–child interaction from the negative impact of maternal postnatal depressive symptoms, whereas dyads with preoccupied mothers were especially at risk for interaction problems when mothers had postpartum depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Connections Between Marital Conflict and Adolescent Girls’ Disordered Eating: Parent–Adolescent Relationship Quality as a Mediator

The family system has frequently been suggested to play an important role in adolescents’ health. Particularly, conflict within the marital dyad has been associated with maladjustment among adolescents, although studies have rarely focused on disordered eating as a possible negative outcome. In this study, we examined the direct association between marital conflict and disordered eating among 123 adolescent girls in middle school and high school. We also tested the mediating role of adolescents’ positive relationship quality with their mothers and fathers (e.g., high warmth and low control) in this relation. For our hypothesized direct effects and mediation models, we formed latent constructs with cross-sectional data collected from girls’ self-report questionnaires and applied bootstrapping procedures. We found that marital conflict was both directly and indirectly, via poor mother– and father–adolescent relationship quality, associated with girls’ disordered eating. This suggests that the mother–father, mother–adolescent, and father–adolescent family subsystems can play a part in influencing girls’ eating patterns. Clearly, family subsystems have significant roles in promoting the health of young, female adolescents. Future research and treatment efforts for girls exhibiting disordered eating should aim to include family members and address the roles of different family subsystems.     

Links between maternal and paternal support,depressive feelings and social and academic self-efficacy in adolescence

This study focused on the role of paternal and maternal support on various indicators of adolescent adjustment. Similar patterns of support in the parental couple (father and mother both high or both low) and mixed patterns (father high and mother low or vice versa) as perceived by adolescents were considered. The specific purpose was to examine the role of both similar (parental consistency) and mixed (parental inconsistency) patterns of parental support on depressive feelings and social and academic self-efficacy. For parental inconsistency, differences between the maternal and paternal role were investigated. Gender and age differences were also examined. Data were collected from a sample of 1118 Italian students, aged 14 to 18 years, living in intact families, using a self-report questionnaire and ANOVAs were performed. Results indicated that high levels of perceived support from both parents were related to lower levels of depressive feelings and higher levels of social and academic self-efficacy. Mixed patterns of support in the parental couple did not differ from each other for any of the indicators considered. No interactions between typology of support, gender and age were observed. Findings confirmed the importance of studying paternal and maternal support interactions rather than focusing on their independent role.     

Depleted parental psychological resources as mediators of the association of income with adherence and metabolic control

For adolescents with Type 1 diabetes, lower family income may be associated with poorer diabetes management through depleted parental psychological resources (i.e., higher parental depressive symptoms, lower parental acceptance). Adolescents (N = 252; 46% male) aged 10-14 years with Type 1 diabetes assessed the acceptance of their mother and father (e.g., "gives me the feeling that she likes me as I am"; "she doesn't feel she has to make me over into someone else"). Mothers provided information on family income and demographics. Both mothers and fathers reported their depressive symptoms. HbA1c scores were indexed via medical records. Lower family income was associated with higher (i.e., worse) HbA1c, more mother and father depressive symptoms, and less acceptance from both parents. Mediation analyses revealed that the relationship of lower family income with metabolic control occurred indirectly through lower maternal and paternal acceptance and lower adherence. Lower family income may impair the quality of parent--adolescent relationships that are beneficial for good diabetes management.     

Examining Temporal Associations between Perceived Maternal Psychological Control and Early Adolescent Internalizing Problems

The present study examined a) the associations between adolescent-reported maternal psychological control and self-reported internalizing problems one year later, while simultaneously examining the opposite direction of effects and b) the equivalence of these associations across gender. Participants were 479 10-to-14-year old adolescents (55% female) participating in two waves of a study. Results from multi-group, cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that although early adolescents’ depressive symptoms and social anxiety predicted change in perceived maternal psychological control one year later, perceived maternal psychological control did not predict change in early adolescents’ internalizing problems. Elevated levels of depressive symptoms were associated with increased levels of perceived maternal psychological control one year later, whereas elevated levels of social anxiety were associated with decreased levels. Aforementioned findings were consistent across boys’ and girls’ data. Study findings extend limited research on adolescent effects, demonstrating that early adolescents’ internalizing problems play a role in perceived maternal psychological control.     

初中生抑郁与依恋、自我效能感的关系研究

对929个初中生施测抑郁自评量表,父母和同伴依恋问卷,一般自我效能感量表,以探讨父、母、同伴依恋和一般自我效能感对抑郁的影响模式.结果:(1)父(母)亲依恋、同伴依恋、一般自我效能感均与抑郁呈显著负相关;同伴依恋与父(母)亲依恋呈显著正相关.(2)结构方程模型分析发现:父(母)亲依恋直接影响同伴依恋,父(母)亲依恋和同伴依恋通过一般自我效能感间接影响抑郁,同时父(母)亲依恋和同伴依恋直接作用于抑郁.     

父母心理控制与ODD症状儿童抑郁、攻击行为的关系

以北京市、山东省和云南省14所小学中的340名有对立违抗障碍(Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ODD)症状的儿童及其158名班主任为被试, 收集了儿童自己填写的父母心理控制、自尊、抑郁量表, 班主任评估的儿童攻击行为量表, 用以考察父亲与母亲心理控制对ODD症状儿童抑郁、攻击行为的不同影响, 以及自尊在其中的中介作用和儿童性别的调节作用。结果发现:(1)与有ODD症状的女孩相比, 具有ODD症状的男孩人数更多, 抑郁、攻击行为问题更为严重, 自尊也更差;(2)父亲对男孩的心理控制显著多于女孩, 而母亲对男孩、女孩的心理控制没有显著差异;(3)父亲和母亲心理控制与ODD症状儿童的抑郁、攻击行为都呈显著正相关且父亲心理控制能显著预测儿童的抑郁和攻击行为, 而母亲心理控制能显著的预测攻击行为;(4)自尊在父亲心理控制与ODD症状儿童的抑郁、母亲心理控制与儿童的攻击行为之间均起部分中介作用, 在父亲心理控制与儿童的攻击行为、母亲心理控制与儿童的抑郁之间均起完全中介作用。     

青少年父母依恋与抑郁的研究:心理素质的中介作用

采用青少年父母依恋问卷、中学生心理素质问卷(简化版)和流调中心用抑郁量表在全国六大片区调查1482名初一至高三的学生,通过结构方程模型和bootstrap法考察青少年父亲依恋和母亲依恋对抑郁的影响及其差异以及心理素质的中介作用。结果表明:(1)青少年父母依恋与心理素质正相关、与抑郁负相关,心理素质与抑郁负相关。(2)心理素质在父亲依恋与抑郁间起部分中介作用,心理素质在母亲依恋与抑郁间起完全中介作用。(3)父亲依恋比母亲依恋对抑郁的预测作用更强。     

Relationships between Perceived Paternal and Maternal Sacrifice and Developmental Outcomes of Chinese Adolescents Experiencing Economic Disadvantage

Parental sacrifice is an important feature of Chinese socialization. According to Walsh’s family resilience framework, perceived parental sacrifice serves as a familial protective factor that enhances adolescent positive development in the context of adversity and economic hardship. Based on a sample of 716 Chinese adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage in Hong Kong, this study examined the main and interaction effects of perceived paternal and maternal sacrifice on adolescent developmental outcomes (indexed by self-identity, self-determination and self-efficacy) in Chinese families. We also examined the differences between paternal and maternal sacrifice perceived by adolescents. Results showed that adolescents perceived maternal sacrifice to be stronger than paternal sacrifice. Moreover, there were main and interaction effects of perceived paternal sacrifice and maternal sacrifice on adolescents’ self-identity, self-determination and self-efficacy. When paternal sacrifice was at higher levels, maternal sacrifice positively predicted adolescents’ self-identity, self-determination and self-efficacy. However, when paternal sacrifice was at lower levels, the influence of maternal sacrifice on adolescent self-identity, self-determination and self-efficacy became non-significant. The study underscored the importance of paternal and maternal sacrifice and illustrated their interaction in shaping the developmental outcomes of economically disadvantaged adolescents. The theoretical and practical implications for family intervention work were discussed.

     

Parenting and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Future Time Perspective

This study investigated the relations between maternal and paternal rearing practices and adolescents' depressive symptoms, and whether time perspective in adolescence explains these links. The sample included 306 students (158 girls), aged between 10.83 and 14.42 years. Adolescents completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of maternal and paternal acceptance and psychological control, and of their future time perspective and depressive symptoms. Adolescents who rated their mothers as more accepting and those who rated their fathers as less psychologically controlling also reported lower levels of depressive symptoms and greater future time perspective. Further, adolescents who had greater future time perspective reported lower levels of depressive symptoms. Finally, time perspective partially mediated the relations of maternal and paternal acceptance, and paternal control with depressive symptoms in adolescence. The findings highlight the unique relations of maternal acceptance and paternal psychological control with adolescents' depressive symptoms, and that future time perspective is one mechanism that might explain why parenting strategies are linked with depressive symptoms in adolescence.     

Sources of evaluation of parental behaviors as predictors of achievement outcomes

Parents contribute to their children’s academic achievements by supporting their basic psychological needs. Parents’ need supporting behaviors (NSB) were expected to predict positive academic outcomes such as students’ academic performance and persistence intentions. The present study tested the contribution of parental NSB by distinguishing which of the source of evaluation (parent or adolescent) or specific NSB (autonomy support, involvement, structure) was a better predictor of youths’ academic performance and persistence intentions. This prospective study used a sample of 435 mother–adolescent dyads and 246 father–adolescent dyads, who completed two questionnaires a year apart. Results suggested that poor agreement between sources precluded the adoption of a multitrait-multimethod model. Using distinct factors for mothers, fathers, and adolescents to evaluate each NSB, different predictions were found for each outcome. Our results showed stronger contributions for paternal behaviors than for maternal ones, from the perspective of both students and their parents. These findings are examined in light of theories and research on parenting and education.