Direct and Moderated Predictions to Late Adolescent Internalizing

Symptoms from Emotionally Stressful Family Contexts

Joanna M. ChangoAnn Spilker

Joseph P. Allen

Copies of this and related papers are available at:WWW.TEENRESEARCH.ORG

Overarching Question• What are the contributions of emotionally

stressful family environments on late adolescent internalizing symptoms?

Abuse, Neglect, & Maltreatment

Current study focuses on…

Correlates and predictions

• Hopelessness depression (Gibb et al., 2001)

• Internalizing symptomatology (McGee et al., 1997)

• Low self-esteem (Tricket et al., 2011)

• Anxious symptoms (Wright et al., 2009)

• Longitudinal changes in childhood self-esteem and depressive symptoms (Kim & Cicchetti, 2006)

Research Question(s)

• How do emotional neglect, abuse, and psychological control relate to anxiety, depressive symptoms, and self-worth in late adolescence?

Sample• 173 Adolescents

• Intensive Interviews and Observations with all parties

• Assessed Annually, utilizing Ages 16-18

• Equal numbers of Males and Females

• Socio-economically Diverse (Median Family Income= $40- $60K)

• Racially Diverse (31% African American; 69% European American)

• Very low Attrition

Emotionally stressful family context measures: Emotional neglect

• Self reports of emotional neglect from Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein et al., 1994)

• Age 16

• Answer questions based on what it was like growing up in the teens’ family over past year

• “People in my family felt close to one another; I felt loved” (reverse coded)

Trait Anxiety• Self reports of general anxiety using the trait

version of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, 1970)

• Age 16 and 18

• “I worry too much over something that doesn’t really matter”

• “I feel difficulties are piling up so that I cannot overcome them”

Predicting Relative Increases in Anxiety from Emotional Neglect

Age 16 Age 18

Gender

Income

Baseline Anxiety

TraitAnxiety

Emotional Neglect

β = .30***

β = .29***

Total R2 = .19***

Social Anxiety

• Self reports of total social anxiety on the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (LaGreca & Lopez, 1998)

• Age 18 (general anxiety at 16)

• “I get nervous when I meet new people”

• “I only talk to people I know really well”

Predicting Relative Increases In Social Anxiety from Emotional Neglect

Age 16 Age 18

Gender

Income

Baseline Anxiety

Social Anxiety

Emotional Neglect

β = .28***

β = .32***

Total R2 = .18**

Self Worth• Self reported self-worth on the Harter Self-

Perception Profile for Adolescents (Harter, 1988)

• Age 16 and 18

• “Some people are often disappointed with themselves” vs. “Some people are often pretty pleased with themselves”

Predicting Relative Decreases in Self Worth from Emotional Neglect

Age 16 Age 18

Gender

Income

Baseline Self Worth Self Worth

Emotional Neglect

β = .54***

β = -.25**

Total R2 = .33***

Correlations among anxiety, social anxiety, and self worth

Self WorthSocial Anxiety

TraitAnxiety

β = -.49***

β = .62*** β = -.52***

Depressive Symptoms• Teens reported on their depressive symptoms

using:

– the Childhood Depression Inventory at age 16 (Kovacs & Beck, 1977)

– The Beck Depression Inventory at age 18 (Beck & Steer, 1987)

Predicting Depressive Symptoms from Emotional Neglect

Age 16 Age 18

Gender

Income

Baseline Depressive Symptoms

Depressive Symptoms

Emotional Neglect

β = .26**

NS

Summary so far• Emotional neglect predicts:

Increased general anxiety and social anxiety

Decreased self worth

Does not predict depressive symptoms

Diathesis:Rejection Sensitivity X

Depressive Symptoms

Stress:Direct emotional

stress

Diathesis stress models

Emotionally stressful family context measures: Emotional abuse

• Self reports of emotional abuse from Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein et al., 1994)

• Age 16

• More direct in nature than emotional neglect

• “People in my family called me things like stupid, lazy, or ugly”

Individual diathesis: Rejection sensitivity

• Teens reported on sensitivity to rejection on the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ; Downey & Feldman, 1996)

• Age 16

• 18 hypothetical situations, indicate level of concern/anxiety about the outcome and the likelihood that the other would respond favorably

Series1-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

Low rejection sensitivity

Low rejection sensitivity

Depr

essi

ve S

ympt

oms

Low emotional abuse

High emotional abuse

Rejection sensitivity and emotional abuse interact to predict depressive symptoms

Series1-0.4

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

High rejection sensitivity

Low rejection sensitivity

β = .29**

Depr

essiv

e Sy

mpt

oms

Low emotional abuse

High emotional abuse

Rejection sensitivity and emotional abuse interact to predict depressive symptoms

Emotional abuse predicts relative

increases in depressive symptoms only for

highly rejection sensitive teens

Emotionally stressful family context measures: Psychological control

• Father reports of psychological control vs. autonomy on the Childhood Report of Parenting Behavior Inventory (Schaefer, 1965; Schluderman & Schluderman, 1970)

• Assessed at teen age 16; N= 83 fathers

• “I am always telling my son/daughter how he/she should behave”

Series1-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Low rejection sensitivity

Depr

essiv

e Sy

mpt

oms

Low paternal psychological

control

High paternal psychological

control

Rejection sensitivity and paternal psychological control interact to predict depressive symptoms

Series1-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

High rejection sensitivity

Low rejection sensitivity

β = -.36**

Depr

essiv

e Sy

mpt

oms

Low paternal psychological

control

High paternal psychological

control

Rejection sensitivity and paternal psychological control interact to predict depressive symptoms

Increases in depressive symptoms much more likely to occur for teens

who experience high levels of psychological control and who are

highly rejection sensitive

Limitations

• Mostly self report, non-causal

• Multiple measures of stressful family environments/abuse exist- we only examine 3

• Short time frame in adolescence, may be important to follow into adulthood

Conclusions• Autonomy, a huge developmental challenge in

adolescence, is being undermined

• Diathesis stress model and hopelessness theories of depression (e.g., Abramson et al., 1989; Caspi et al., 2003; Metalsky & Joiner, 1992)

Conclusions• Neglect

• Abuse and rejection sensitivity

Lack of confidence in self and social situations

Sad, down, possibly more severe depressogenic cognitions

Acknowledgements• Thanks to my co-authors, Joe Allen Ph. D, and Ann Spilker • Thanks to all of my lab collaborators: Kathleen McElhaney, Ph. D. Caroline White

Nell Manning, Ph. D Emily Marston, Ph.DErin Miga, Ph. D Dave SzwedoAmanda Hare, Ph. D Megan SchadElie Hessel Emily LoebChris Hafen Barbara Oudekerk

• I would also like to thank the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development for funding awarded to Joseph P. Allen, PI (Grant # 9R01HD058305-A11) to conduct and write-up this project.

Copies of this and related papers are available at:WWW.TEENRESEARCH.ORG