From Social Withdrawal to Social Confidence: Evidence for Possible Pathways

Children born with a possible predisposition toward shyness face many social challenges. Researchers over the past four decades have begun to identify specific factors that influence shy children’s social skill development and their level of peer acceptance. The purpose of this article is to review factors across each developmental stage that have been found to either promote or hinder the development of social competence and peer acceptance in shy children. These factors include physiological differences, caregiver influences, emotion socialization, friendships, general peer support, coping skills, organized social activities, and socioeconomic status.     

From Social Withdrawal to Social Confidence: Evidence for Possible Pathways

Children born with a possible predisposition toward shyness face many social challenges. Researchers over the past four decades have begun to identify specific factors that influence shy children’s social skill development and their level of peer acceptance. The purpose of this article is to review factors across each developmental stage that have been found to either promote or hinder the development of social competence and peer acceptance in shy children. These factors include physiological differences, caregiver influences, emotion socialization, friendships, general peer support, coping skills, organized social activities, and socioeconomic status.     

Academic Pathways between Attention Problems and Depressive Symptoms Among Urban African American Children

The present study investigated the pathways between attention problems and depressive symptoms, particularly the role of academic incompetence, among a community sample of urban African American children. Results supported the hypothesized path models from inattention to depressive symptoms for girls and boys. Academic performance in the spring of first grade mediated the relationship between inattention in fall of first grade and depressive symptoms in spring of 3rd grade. The effects held when controlling for conduct problems and academic competence in first grade suggesting the path was specific to attention problems rather than a more general externalizing or school readiness pathway. Implications for designing interventions and prevention strategies for children with attention problems and depressive symptoms are discussed.     

The Relationship Between Peer Status and Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between specific symptoms of depression and particular styles of peer difficulties. Participants were 1687 students in fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and eleventh grades from a midsized Midwestern city. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesized that rejected and neglected youths would report greater depressive symptomatology than other peers. In addition, aggressive-rejected youth were predicted to report more Interpersonal Problems while submissive-rejected youths were expected to report more Anhedonia. There were no sociometric group differences on global scores of depression as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory; however, the aggressive- and submissive-rejected youths did report specific differences. Aggressive-rejected youths reported more Interpersonal Problems and feelings of Ineffectiveness, while the neglected and submissive-rejected youths reported more Anhedonia. Taken together, such differences provide support for differentiating among types of rejected students and suggest that different interventions may be necessary to address the needs of these youths.     

Family Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: A Moderated Mediation Model

Low family socioeconomic status (SES) is linked with adolescents’ symptoms of depression, but little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this association. Based on ecosystem theory and the organism-environment interaction model, we tested whether emotional resilience mediated the relationship between family SES and depressive symptoms, and whether parent–child relationship quality moderated the relationship. Adolescents (N?=?724) from one middle school in central China completed self-reported questionnaires regarding demographic variables, family SES, emotional resilience, parent–child relationship quality, and depressive symptoms. Regression-based mediation analysis indicated that emotional resilience mediated the association between family SES and depressive symptoms. Parent–child relationship quality moderated two components of this mediation process, namely the effects of low SES on both emotional resilience and depressive symptoms. In both cases, a high quality parent–child relationship ameliorated the adverse effects of low family SES. That is, adolescents with a higher quality relationship with their parent appeared to be less affected by low family SES. The study reveals how and when family SES may affect adolescents’ depressive symptoms, and highlights the protective effect of a high quality parent–child relationship in a low SES environment.

     

Depressive Symptoms in African-American Women

This project examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms in an African-American female college student sample. Concordance rates between two of the most widely used psychometric instruments in clinical settings, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, revised edition (MMPI-2; Hathway & McKinley, 1967) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mack, & Erbaugh, 1961), were examined. Results revealed that the MMPI-2 was a more conservative scale than the BDI in identifying depressive symptom levels. Both scales, however, identified 12% to 18% of the sample as experiencing severe symptoms. Results were interpreted in light of the stress model of depression. Participants who experienced many symptoms also had high levels of anxiety and passive coping styles. One significant covariate in this sample was mother's education level. Participants whose mothers had college experience had fewer depressive symptoms than their first-generation college-experience peers. Results were interpreted in light of the possible ways mothers inoculate their daughters from stressful environments because of their experiences and possible ways to use this process to assist first-generation college students.     

Biblical Inerrancy and Depressive Symptoms

A number of investigators have studied biblical inerrancy (i.e., the belief that the Bible is inspired by God, free from error, and should be interpreted literally). However, there has been little research on the relationship between biblical inerrancy and mental health outcomes. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the literature. This is accomplished by estimating a latent variable model that was designed to empirically evaluate the following relationships: (1) Blacks, people with less education, and conservative Christians are more likely to have a strong belief in biblical inerrancy; (2) people with a strong belief in biblical inerrancy are more likely to experience demonic spiritual struggles when they are faced with stressful events; (3) individuals who experience demonic spiritual struggles are more likely to feel that the sacred aspects of their lives have been threatened; and (4) greater sacred loss is associated with more depressive symptoms. Data from a recent nationwide survey (N?=?2332) provide support for each of these relationships.     

Life Stressors, Social Support, and Depressive Symptoms Among First-Time Welfare Recipients

This paper examines the associations among stressful life events, social support, and depressive symptoms in a sample of 580 first-time welfare recipients. Self-reported number of depressive symptoms was greater than in corresponding community samples. Stressors and social supports made independent main effect contributions to depressive symptoms in a multiple regression analysis. Women with transportation barriers to employment, those experiencing greater numbers of stressful life events, and those who were less satisfied with their housing situation reported greater numbers of depressive symptoms. In contrast, women who were more satisfied with their social support and those with higher attendance at religious services reported fewer depressive symptoms. Implications for welfare reform policy and programs are discussed.     

Oral Pessimism and Depressive Symptoms

I examined the relation of oral optimistic and oral pessimistic personality traits to depressive symptoms to assess the psychoanalytic claim that fixation at the early phase of the oral stage of psychosexual development is related to depression. College students (N = 140) were administered the Oral Optimism Questionnaire (OOQ; Kline, 1978) and Oral Pessimism Questionnaire (OPQ; Kline, 1978) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelsohn, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961). Oral pessimism and levels of depressive symptoms were positively correlated, and a subsample of subjects with clinical levels of depressive symptoms also scored significantly higher on the Oral Pessimism Questionnaire than the rest of the sample. For the whole sample, 10 BDI items correlated significantly with the OPQ scores, and 5 OPQ items correlated significantly with the total BDI scores. The psychoanalytic claim relating fixation at the oral pessimism stage to depressive symptoms was supported.     

Developmental Pathways to Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: A Multi-Wave Prospective Study of Negative Emotionality,Stressors, and Anxiety

This study examined two potential developmental pathways through which the temperament risk factor of negative emotionality (NE) leads to prospective increases in depressive symptoms through the mediating role of stressors and anxious symptoms in a sample of early to middle adolescents (N = 350, 6th–10th graders). The primary hypothesized model was that baseline NE leads to increased stressors, which results in increases in anxious arousal, which culminates with elevated depressive symptoms. An alternate model hypothesized that baseline NE leads to increased anxious arousal, which results in increases in stressors, and this culminates in elevated depressive symptoms. Youth completed self-report measures of NE, stressors, anxious arousal, and depressive symptoms at four time-points. Path analysis supported the primary model and showed that the mediating influence of stressors and anxious arousal explained 78% of the association between NE and prospective elevations in depressive symptoms. The alternate model was not supported. Neither gender nor age were moderators.     

A Cognitive-Interpersonal Approach to Depressive Symptoms in Preadolescent Children

Cognitive and interpersonal aspects of depressive symptoms were investigated in a community sample of children. Eighty-one 8- to 12-year-olds completed scales assessing cognitive representations of social relationships and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Teachers provided ratings of peer rejection. Children with elevated levels of depressive symptoms displayed increased negativity in their beliefs about self, family, and peers, as well as distinct patterns of interpersonal information processing. Anxiety symptoms did not make a unique contribution beyond depression to negative representations of family and peers; in contrast, symptom-specific profiles of self-representations were found. Structural equation analysis supported a model linking negative interpersonal representations, peer rejection, and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that future studies may benefit from approaches that incorporate both cognitive and interpersonal variables as predictors of child depression.     

Alexithymia,Gender, and Responses to Depressive Symptoms

Sex Roles - Difficulty in labeling and communicating emotions (commonly known as alexithymia) may play a role in how women and men respond to a depressed mood. In the current study, we hypothesized...     

Adolescent Responses to Depressive Parental Behaviors in Problem-Solving Interactions: Implications for Depressive Symptoms

The purpose of this study was to explore the relations between child responses to interparental depressive behavior and subsequent child depressive symptomatology. Data were collected on 156 two-parent families. Families completed questionnaire data and participated in problem-solving interactions, which were coded using a microsocial observational system. Three potential child responses to interparental depressive behavior were examined: facilitative, aggressive, and depressive. Results indicated that for female adolescents the displays of facilitative and depressive behavior as well as the suppression of aggressive behavior in response to interparental depressive behavior were related to increases in depressive symptomatology. For males, on the other hand, the display of aggressive and depressive behavior in response to interparental depressive behavior was related to increases in depression. Results provide preliminary support both for the examination of child responses to conflictual marital behavior and for expanding the conceptualization of conflictual marital behaviors to include depressive as well as the more traditionally examined aggressive behaviors, in order to better understand the link between conflictual marital behavior and child depressive symptomatology.     

Social Disconnection and Hazardous Drinking Mediate the Link Between Perfectionistic Attitudes and Depressive Symptoms

According to the perfectionism social disconnection model (PSDM), perfectionism leads to social disconnection (e.g., isolation, loneliness, and alienation) which brings about depressive symptoms. The present study extended the PSDM by testing a dual-pathway mediation model wherein social disconnection and hazardous drinking were hypothesized to explain why perfectionistic attitudes (e.g., intense self-criticism, evaluative concerns, and unrealistic goal-setting) result in depressive symptoms. A sample of 216 college students participated. The present study utilized a cross-sectional design and self-report questionnaires. The hypothesized model fit the data well, with social disconnection and hazardous drinking mediating the perfectionistic attitudes-depressive symptoms link. Students high in perfectionistic attitudes report feeling isolated, lonely, and alienated. To escape this powerful sense of not belonging, these students turn to alcohol in a self-destructive way. Suffering from the ill effects of social disconnection and hazardous drinking, students high in perfectionistic attitudes are vulnerable to depressive symptoms.     

Mothers with Depressive Symptoms Touching Newborns

Previous research has demonstrated the positive effects of early contact on mother–infant touching behaviours. The present study investigated whether the type of maternal touching, shortly after birth, is also determined by the mother's mood state. Mothers with depressive symptoms were compared to non-depressive mothers 1 day after delivery on how they touched their newborns following an initial feeding. The results were counter-intuitive in that no differences were found between mothers with depressive symptoms and non-depressive mothers in type of maternal touching. However, mothers with depressive symptoms talked to their infants less often and talked on the phone more often. In addition, mothers with depressive symptoms showed more neutral and negative facial expressions and fewer positive and more neutral vocal expressions.     

关于抑郁症状的动力学探索及其心理治疗策略

心理因素是导致个体陷入抑郁症状,并难以获得彻底痊愈的根本原因。从心理层面深入探索抑郁发生的病理机制,无疑有利于创新抑郁症状的心理治疗策略,并提升抑郁症状的心理干预效果。本文从动力学的角度,分析了个体的趋利避害机制、压抑机制及效能机制在其抑郁发生过程中的内在动因,初步建构了抑郁发生及其交互作用的模式,并从心理极限的拓展、消极认知的突破和负性精神交互作用的阻断三个方面,努力探索抑郁症状的动力学辅导思路。     

Path Models of the Relationships of Instrumentality and Expressiveness to Social Self-Efficacy, Shyness, and Depressive Symptoms

This study was designed to examine path models of the relationships of instrumentality, expressiveness, and social self-efficacy to shyness and depressive symptoms in college students. Models indicated strong relationships between social self-efficacy and instrumentality; the relationship of instrumentality to depressive symptoms was mediated by its relationship to social self-efficacy. The relationship of social self-efficacy to depressive symptoms was direct and was also mediated by its relationship to expressiveness. These findings provide new information on how gender role-related personality traits may be protective against depression.     

Dysfunctional Attitudes Lead to Depressive Symptoms by Generating Subjective Stress

Previous studies have indicated that objective stress—negative events that have actually occurred outside of individuals—is involved in processes of dysfunctional attitudes leading to depression. Subjective stress—individuals' perception of negative events that have not actually occurred outside of them—is also predicted to be involved in these processes. However, few studies have empirically investigated this prediction. The primary purpose of this study was to fill this gap by testing the hypothesis that dysfunctional attitudes lead to depression by generating subjective stress. A longitudinal design was employed and initial depression was controlled. The results supported the hypothesis. It was also found that initial depression fostered subsequent depression by generating subjective stress. This study contributes to the literature on depression mechanisms by elucidating that subjective stress plays an important role in the development and exacerbation of depression. This study also has important clinical implications as it suggests that preventing subjective stress in individuals with dysfunctional attitudes or depression helps to protect the development or exacerbation of their depression.