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The Moderating Role of Maternal Depression in the Relation Between Adolescent Behavioral Inhibition and Maternal
William Mellick1, Carla Sharp2, Anna Wilkinson3
1Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX, 77204, USA. whmellick@uh.edu.
Abstract:
Behavioral inhibition is associated with a range of negative affective states and behaviors in adolescents which may elicit critical expressed emotion (EE-Crit) among mothers. Whether the relation between adolescent behavioral inhibition and maternal EE-Crit may depend on the presence of maternal depression is unknown. Therefore, a total of N = 81 biological mother/adolescent daughter dyads were recruited: mothers with a history of major depressive disorder (n = 45) and never-depressed mothers (non-depressed: n = 36). Structured clinical interviews were administered, daughters reported their behavioral inhibition and mothers reported daughter-directed maternal EE-Crit. Maternal depression was a moderator such that higher daughter behavioral inhibition was associated with greater EE-Crit among depressed mothers, specifically. There were no group differences for daughter behavioral inhibition or maternal EE-Crit. These findings highlight the significant role that maternal depression may play in relation to adolescent behavioral inhibition, EE-Crit, and risk for the development of adolescent psychopathology.
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