Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs
Published on: October 13, 2017
Parental rearing style: examining for links with personality vulnerability factors for depression
1School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract:
Recent research provides evidence of links between anomalous parenting experiences in childhood and subsequent depression. A study was designed to pursue the possibility that anomalous parenting effects a diathesis to depression by inducing a vulnerable cognitive style rather than by disposing directly to depression. Possible mediating personality style variables were explored in a study of 123 depressed subjects who scored their parents on the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), as well as completing a state depression and several relevant personality measures. Low self-esteem and a related dysfunction cognitive style were the personality variables most clearly linked with PBI scores, with links persisting after partialling out state levels of depression. Failure to find links between PBI scores and depression levels limited explication of the diathesis stress model.
Related Concept Videos
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Attachment Styles

