Parental Depression and the Severity of Adolescent Suicide Ideation and Behavior: A Test of a Mediation Model
Date
2015-05
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
An extensive literature has implicated parental depression in child and
adolescent psychopathology (Downey & Coyne, 1990). However, less is known about
the mechanisms through which parental depression affects the adolescent. The current
study tested parental attitudes toward conflict discussions with their adolescent as a
potential mechanism linking parental depression to adolescent suicide severity in a
sample of 65 adolescents and their parents. Parental attitudes (punitive, abdicating, or
supportive) were measured using self-report ratings of emotion attitudes and reactions
immediately before and after a videotaped conflict discussion with their adolescent. I
hypothesized that parental depression would be associated with punitive, abdicating,
and less supportive parental attitudes, and that these attitudes would also be associated
with an increase in adolescent suicide severity. Results indicate that parental
depression was associated with adolescent’s suicidal thoughts and behavior. Of the
three parental attitudes, only parental abdication was associated with the severity of
adolescents’ suicide ideation and behavior. Additionally, the relationship between
parental depression and adolescent suicide severity is partially accounted for when
parents report an attitude of abdication and withdrawal toward conflict discussions
with their adolescent. The findings suggest that parental abdication may lead to
withdrawal from the parenting role and force the adolescent to maintain the
relationship, reducing his/her ability to use the parent as a resource (Lyons-Ruth et al.,
2013; Lyons-Ruth, Bureau, Holmes, Easterbrooks, & Brooks, 2013).
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Keywords
Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Psychology, Pyschology