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Parental Behaviors During Family Interactions Predict Changes in Depression and Anxiety Symptoms During Adolescence

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Abstract

This study investigated the prospective, longitudinal relations between parental behaviors observed during parent-adolescent interactions, and the development of depression and anxiety symptoms in a community-based sample of 194 adolescents. Positive and negative parental behaviors were examined, with negative behaviors operationalized to distinguish between observed parental expressions of aggression and dysphoria. Results showed that higher levels of parental aggression prospectively predicted higher levels of both depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents over two-and-a-half years, whereas higher levels of positive parental behaviors prospectively predicted lower levels of depression symptoms only. Parental dysphoric behavior was not related to changes in either symptom dimension. These results suggest that patterns of parental behaviors may be differentially associated with depressive versus anxious outcomes in adolescents, and highlight the potential role for family-focused prevention or treatment interventions aimed at reducing an escalation of depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Orli S. Schwartz, Paul Dudgeon & Nicholas B. Allen

  2. Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, OR, USA

    Lisa B. Sheeber

  3. Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Orli S. Schwartz, Marie B. H. Yap, Julian G. Simmons & Nicholas B. Allen

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  1. Orli S. Schwartz
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  2. Paul Dudgeon
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  3. Lisa B. Sheeber
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  4. Marie B. H. Yap
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  5. Julian G. Simmons
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  6. Nicholas B. Allen
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Correspondence to Nicholas B. Allen.

Additional information

This research was supported by grants from the Colonial Foundation, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; Australia; Program Grant350241) and the Australian Research Council (Discovery Grant DP0878136).

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Schwartz, O.S., Dudgeon, P., Sheeber, L.B. et al. Parental Behaviors During Family Interactions Predict Changes in Depression and Anxiety Symptoms During Adolescence. J Abnorm Child Psychol 40, 59–71 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9542-2

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