Depression predicts emotion acceptance beliefs in early adolescence: A longitudinal investigation

Adolescence is a time period which confers significant risk for the development of psychopathology. There is increasing consensus within the literature that beliefs about one's emotional experience are important and may present a unique risk factor during this time period. However, to date, there has been no longitudinal examination of the relationship between depression and specific beliefs regarding the acceptability of experiencing and expressing emotion in young people.

The present study used a cross-lagged longitudinal design with questionnaires completed at two waves spaced 8 months apart.

506 participants (50.60% female) aged 12-15 years completed the Beliefs about Emotion questionnaire to assess for beliefs regarding the acceptability of experiencing and expressing emotions, and the depression subscale of the DASS-21 to measure depressive symptoms.

Greater depressive symptoms were associated with more negative beliefs about emotion at both time points. More negative beliefs about emotion at T1 did not significantly predict greater depressive symptoms at T2. However, greater depressive symptoms at T1 predicted significantly more negative beliefs about emotions at T2.

Greater beliefs about the unacceptability of experiencing or expressing emotions do not appear to predispose young people to depression. Rather, these beliefs appear to emerge following earlier experiences of depressive symptoms. Further research is needed over multiple measurement waves to further elucidate the relationship between emotion acceptance beliefs and depressive symptoms across adolescence into adulthood and whether such beliefs may predict future depressive episodes indirectly via difficulties in emotion regulation.

Current findings suggest that more negative beliefs about emotion, specifically, beliefs about the unacceptability of experiencing or expressing emotions do not represent a key risk factor for the onset of depressive symptoms in early adolescence. Rather, current evidence suggests these beliefs emerge following depressive symptoms. Given these findings, universal prevention programmes targeting valuation beliefs regarding emotion acceptability are less likely to be effective for this developmental age group. It is important to assess for beliefs that an individual may hold regarding their emotional states alongside symptoms, as these beliefs are associated with greater clinical severity of depressive symptoms. Further research, over multiple measurement waves, is needed to clarify whether emotion acceptability beliefs may predict future depressive episodes indirectly via difficulties in emotion regulation.