UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Rakow, Aaron
Dept./Program:
Psychology
Year:
2010
Degree:
PhD
Abstract:
The negative impact of parental depression and depressive symptoms on children's internalizing problems has been clearly illustrated within the literature (Aunola & Nurmi, 2005; Beardslee, Bemporad, Keller, & Klerman, 1983; Burkel 2003; Robila & Krishnakumar, 2006) and parenting has been proposed as one mechanism of risk (Goodman & Gotlib, 1999). For example, parental guilt induction, when used at high levels of frequency and intensity, has been preliminarily linked with child internalizing outcomes when parents have a history of clinical depression (Donatelli, Bybee, & Buka, 2007; Rakow et .a1., in press). The purpose of the current study is to address a gap in the parental depression literature linking parenting behaviors with child internalizing outcomes by examining the role of parental guilt induction as a mediator of the parent depressive symptoms-child internalizing problems association in a sample of parents with a history of clinical depression.
One hundred and two families (90 mothers; Mage = 40.34 years, SD = 7.25) with 129 children (66 males; Mage = 11.42 years, SD = 1.96) were included in the current study. In each family, at least one parent had a history of Major Depressive Disorder during the lifetime of their child, and each participating child was within the targeted age range of 9 years to 15 years, 11 months. Linear Mixed Models Analysis indicated the indirect effect of parental guilt induction (assessed by both behaviorally coded parent-child interactions and child report) significantly mediated the relation between parental depressive symptoms and child internalizing. Implications of the findings for prevention and intervention parenting programs are discussed and future research directions are considered.
One hundred and two families (90 mothers; Mage = 40.34 years, SD = 7.25) with 129 children (66 males; Mage = 11.42 years, SD = 1.96) were included in the current study. In each family, at least one parent had a history of Major Depressive Disorder during the lifetime of their child, and each participating child was within the targeted age range of 9 years to 15 years, 11 months. Linear Mixed Models Analysis indicated the indirect effect of parental guilt induction (assessed by both behaviorally coded parent-child interactions and child report) significantly mediated the relation between parental depressive symptoms and child internalizing. Implications of the findings for prevention and intervention parenting programs are discussed and future research directions are considered.