scholarly journals The role of environmental sensitivity in the development of rumination and depressive symptoms in childhood: a longitudinal study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Lionetti ◽  
Daniel N. Klein ◽  
Massimiliano Pastore ◽  
Elaine N. Aron ◽  
Arthur Aron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Internalizing Problems ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Environmental Sensitivity ◽  
Permissive Parenting

AbstractSome children are more affected than others by their upbringing due to their increased sensitivity to the environment. More sensitive children are at heightened risk for the development of internalizing problems, particularly when experiencing unsupportive parenting. However, little is known about how the interplay between children’s sensitivity and parenting leads to higher levels of depressive symptoms. In the current study, we investigated the interaction between early parenting and children’s sensitivity on levels of depressive symptomatology in middle childhood, exploring the role of rumination as a possible mediator in a community sample. Participants included 196 USA resident families, from a middle class and mostly European–American background, and their healthy children, followed up from age 3 until 9 and 12 years. Environmental sensitivity was assessed observationally when children were 3 years old. Parenting style was based on parent-report at the age of 3 years. When children were nine, they completed questionnaires on rumination and depressive symptoms (repeated at 12 years). Analyses were run applying a Bayesian approach. Children’s sensitivity interacted with permissive parenting in predicting rumination at age 9. Rumination, in turn, was associated with depressive symptoms at age 9 and, to a lesser extent, at age 12. No relevant interactions emerged for authoritative and authoritarian parenting. Sensitive children may be at heightened risk for internalizing problems when exposed to a permissive parenting style. Permissive parenting was associated with increased ruminative coping strategies in sensitive children which, in turn, predicted higher levels of depression. Hence, rumination emerged as an important cognitive risk factor for the development of depressive symptoms in sensitive children.

Interpersonal Stress Generation—A Girl Problem? The Role of Depressive Symptoms, Dysfunctional Attitudes, and Gender in Early Adolescent Stress Generation

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Meiser ◽  
Günter Esser
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽  
Stress Generation ◽  
Interpersonal Stress ◽  
German Children ◽  
And Gender

To provide further insight into stress generation patterns in boys and girls around puberty, this study investigated longitudinal reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms, dysfunctional attitudes, and stress generation, the process by which individuals contribute to the occurrence of stress in interpersonal contexts (e.g., problematic social interactions) or in noninterpersonal contexts (e.g., achievement problems). A community sample of N = 924 German children and early adolescents (51.8% male) completed depressive symptoms and dysfunctional attitudes measures at T1 and again 20 months later (T2). Stressful life events were reported at T2. Dysfunctional attitudes were unrelated to stress generation. Interpersonal, but not noninterpersonal, dependent stress partially mediated the relationship between initial and later depressive symptoms, with girls being more likely to generate interpersonal stress in response to depressive symptoms. Findings underscore the role of interpersonal stress generation in the early development of depressive symptomatology, and in the gender difference in depression prevalence emerging around puberty.

scholarly journals Effects of Father and Mother Attachment on Depressive Symptoms in Middle Childhood and Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1153
Author(s):  
Alexandra Iwanski ◽  
Lucie Lichtenstein ◽  
Laura E. Mühling ◽  
Peter Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Longitudinal Assessment ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Regulation Strategies

Background: Attachment and emotion regulation play a decisive role in the developmental pathways of adaptation or maladaptation. This study tested concurrent and longitudinal associations between the attachment to mother and father, sadness regulation, and depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 1110 participants from middle childhood to adolescence completed measures of attachment, emotion regulation, and depressive symptomatology. In total, 307 of them participated in the longitudinal assessment. Results: Results revealed attachment affects emotion regulation strategies and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, we found linear effects of the cumulative number of secure attachment relationships on adaptive and maladaptive deactivating sadness regulation, as well as on depressive symptoms. Longitudinal analysis showed the significant mediating role of sadness regulation in the relationship between attachment and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Adaptive and maladaptive deactivating sadness regulation explain the longitudinal effects of attachment on depressive symptoms. Insecurely attached children and adolescents use maladaptive and adaptive sadness regulation strategies, but differ in their hierarchy of strategy use.

scholarly journals Inflammation and the Association of Vitamin D and Depressive Symptomatology

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1972
Author(s):  
Ezgi Dogan-Sander ◽  
Roland Mergl ◽  
Anja Willenberg ◽  
Ronny Baber ◽  
Kerstin Wirkner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Inflammatory Markers ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Mediation Analyses

Depression and vitamin D deficiency are major public health problems. The existing literature indicates the complex relationship between depression and vitamin D. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this relationship is moderated or mediated by inflammation. A community sample (n = 7162) from the LIFE-Adult-Study was investigated, for whom depressive symptoms were assessed via the German version of CES-D scale and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and inflammatory markers (IL-6 and CRP levels, WBC count) were quantified. Mediation analyses were performed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro and regression analyses were conducted to test moderation effects. There was a significant negative correlation between CES-D and 25(OH)D, and positive associations between inflammatory markers and CES-D scores. Only WBC partially mediated the association between 25(OH)D levels and depressive symptoms both in a simple mediation model (ab: −0.0042) and a model including covariates (ab: −0.0011). None of the inflammatory markers showed a moderation effect on the association between 25(OH)D levels and depressive symptoms. This present work highlighted the complex relationship between vitamin D, depressive symptoms and inflammation. Future studies are needed to examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on inflammation and depressive symptomatology for causality assessment.

scholarly journals Higher cognitive ability buffers stress-related depressive symptoms in adolescent girls

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Riglin ◽  
Stephan Collishaw ◽  
Katherine H. Shelton ◽  
I. C. McManus ◽  
Terry Ng-Knight ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Familial Risk ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Cognitive Operations

AbstractStress has been shown to have a causal effect on risk for depression. We investigated the role of cognitive ability as a moderator of the effect of stressful life events on depressive symptoms and whether this varied by gender. Data were analyzed in two adolescent data sets: one representative community sample aged 11–12 years (n = 460) and one at increased familial risk of depression aged 9–17 years (n = 335). In both data sets, a three-way interaction was found whereby for girls, but not boys, higher cognitive ability buffered the association between stress and greater depressive symptoms. The interaction was replicated when the outcome was a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. This buffering effect in girls was not attributable to coping efficacy. However, a small proportion of the variance was accounted for by sensitivity to environmental stressors. Results suggest that this moderating effect of cognitive ability in girls is largely attributable to greater available resources for cognitive operations that offer protection against stress-induced reductions in cognitive processing and cognitive control which in turn reduces the likelihood of depressive symptomatology.

scholarly journals Examining associations between internalizing behaviour, cortisol reactivity, and physiological coordination, in two differentially potent challenges

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Khoury
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Internalizing Problems ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
The Impact

Background: Research examining associations between child internalizing behaviours and cortisol reactivity is equivocal, with studies suggesting positive, negative and non-significant associations. The present study assessed three primary confounds that contribute to these inconsistencies: 1) the differential effectiveness of laboratory challenges in eliciting cortisol reactivity; 2) the impact of coordination between the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis and the Sympathetic-Adrenal-Medullary system (assessed via salivary alpha-amylase (sAA)); and 3) variation in the measurement of internalizing behaviour, specifically, parent versus child ratings. The primary aims of this study were to assess internalizing behaviours in relation to both cortisol reactivity and coordination between cortisol and sAA, measured in two distinct challenges. Method: A community sample of 8-10 year olds (N= 52) participated in two laboratory challenges, across two study sessions: 1) the Trier Social Stress Test-Child Version (TSST-C), a potent social-evaluative challenge, and 2) a less-potent competition challenge, composed of a puzzle and mirror-tracing task. Saliva was collected at several time points before and after each challenge. Saliva was later assayed to extract cortisol and sAA. Child-reported depressive symptoms were assessed using the Child Depression Inventory, and maternal-reported internalizing problems were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. Multilevel modelling was conducted using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Results: In the TSST-C, child-reported depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a declining cortisol trajectory. Maternal-reported internalizing problems were not associated with cortisol and internalizing behaviour did not moderate the impact of sAA levels on cortisol levels (i.e., coordination) in the TSST-C. With regards to the competition challenge, maternal-reported internalizing behaviours predicted cortisol-sAA coordination, such that children with more internalizing behaviours who experienced higher sAA levels also had higher cortisol reactivity. However, there were no significant associations between child-reported depressive symptoms, cortisol reactivity, or coordination between sAA and cortisol reactivity in the competition challenge. Conclusions: Results are discussed in the context of allostatic load and in relation to theories of physiological coordination. These findings underscore the importance of differential stressor contexts, physiological coordination, and the informant of internalizing behaviours moderating associations between internalizing behaviour and cortisol reactivity. Future research should integrate these factors in models of physiological stress and developmental psychopathology.

The direct and indirect effects of couples’ attachment relationship on children’s depression

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-234
Author(s):  
Maria Ktistaki ◽  
Eleni Papadaki-Michailidi ◽  
Eleni Vasilaki
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Parenting Style ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Attachment Relationship ◽  
Authoritarian Parenting ◽  
Children’S Depression ◽  
Indirect Association ◽  
Mediating Factor

The present study examined whether there is any direct or indirect association between couples’ attachment relationship and depressive symptoms experienced by their children. Having in mind the importance of the caregiving role of both mothers and fathers, the initial aim of the study was to collect data about the couple’s attachment relationship, from the two parents. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of fathers were unwilling to provide information regarding their attachment relationship. That’s why it was finally decided to collect data about the couple’s attachment from mothers only. For the same reason, only mothers’ parenting style was used as the mediating factor, in order to test any possible indirect effects, between couples’ attachment relationship and children’s depression. More specifically, three kinds of parenting style were examined, the authoritative, the authoritarian, and the permissive style. The results of the study revealed that mothers who experience higher levels of attachment anxiety tend to apply an authoritarian parenting style and this specific parenting style is significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms in children. Additionally, mothers who experience higher levels of attachment avoidance tend to behave in an authoritarian way towards their children, and this parenting style is also associated with higher depression in children.

scholarly journals A Conceptual Model Predicting Internalizing Problems in Middle Childhood Among Children of Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Fathers: The Role of Marital Aggression

2009 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rina D. Eiden ◽  
Danielle S. Molnar ◽  
Craig Colder ◽  
Ellen P. Edwards ◽  
Kenneth E. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Internalizing Problems ◽  
Marital Aggression

Father absence and depressive symptoms in adolescence: findings from a UK cohort

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 2615-2626 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Culpin ◽  
J. Heron ◽  
R. Araya ◽  
R. Melotti ◽  
C. Joinson
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Father Absence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Biological Father ◽  
Adolescent Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
The Uk

BackgroundPrevious studies suggest a link between parental separation or divorce and risk of depression in adolescence. There are, however, few studies that have prospectively examined the effects of timing of biological father absence on risk for depressive symptoms in adolescence while controlling for a range of confounding factors.MethodWe examine the association between father absence occurring in early (the first 5 years) and middle childhood (5–10 years) and adolescent depressive symptoms in a sample comprising 5631 children from the UK-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Self-reported depressive symptoms at 14 years were assessed using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Father absence was assessed from maternal questionnaires completed at regular intervals from the birth of the study child up to 10 years.ResultsThere was evidence for an association between father absence in early childhood and increased odds of depressive symptoms at 14 years. This association was stronger in girls than in boys and remained after adjusting for a range of socio-economic, maternal and familial confounders assessed prior to the father's departure. Conversely, there was no evidence for an association between father absence in middle childhood and depressive symptoms at 14 years.ConclusionsFather absence in early childhood increases risk for adolescent depressive symptoms, particularly in girls. Future research should be aimed at identifying possible biological and psychosocial mechanisms linking father absence to depressive symptomatology to enable the development of family-based early prevention and intervention programmes targeting young children at risk.

scholarly journals Examining associations between internalizing behaviour, cortisol reactivity, and physiological coordination, in two differentially potent challenges

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Khoury
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Internalizing Problems ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
The Impact

Background: Research examining associations between child internalizing behaviours and cortisol reactivity is equivocal, with studies suggesting positive, negative and non-significant associations. The present study assessed three primary confounds that contribute to these inconsistencies: 1) the differential effectiveness of laboratory challenges in eliciting cortisol reactivity; 2) the impact of coordination between the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis and the Sympathetic-Adrenal-Medullary system (assessed via salivary alpha-amylase (sAA)); and 3) variation in the measurement of internalizing behaviour, specifically, parent versus child ratings. The primary aims of this study were to assess internalizing behaviours in relation to both cortisol reactivity and coordination between cortisol and sAA, measured in two distinct challenges. Method: A community sample of 8-10 year olds (N= 52) participated in two laboratory challenges, across two study sessions: 1) the Trier Social Stress Test-Child Version (TSST-C), a potent social-evaluative challenge, and 2) a less-potent competition challenge, composed of a puzzle and mirror-tracing task. Saliva was collected at several time points before and after each challenge. Saliva was later assayed to extract cortisol and sAA. Child-reported depressive symptoms were assessed using the Child Depression Inventory, and maternal-reported internalizing problems were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. Multilevel modelling was conducted using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Results: In the TSST-C, child-reported depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a declining cortisol trajectory. Maternal-reported internalizing problems were not associated with cortisol and internalizing behaviour did not moderate the impact of sAA levels on cortisol levels (i.e., coordination) in the TSST-C. With regards to the competition challenge, maternal-reported internalizing behaviours predicted cortisol-sAA coordination, such that children with more internalizing behaviours who experienced higher sAA levels also had higher cortisol reactivity. However, there were no significant associations between child-reported depressive symptoms, cortisol reactivity, or coordination between sAA and cortisol reactivity in the competition challenge. Conclusions: Results are discussed in the context of allostatic load and in relation to theories of physiological coordination. These findings underscore the importance of differential stressor contexts, physiological coordination, and the informant of internalizing behaviours moderating associations between internalizing behaviour and cortisol reactivity. Future research should integrate these factors in models of physiological stress and developmental psychopathology.

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