TY - JOUR
T1 - Mothers' Depressive Symptoms Predict Both Increased and Reduced Negative Reactivity
T2 - Aversion Sensitivity and the Regulation of Emotion
AU - Dix, Theodore
AU - Moed, Anat
AU - Anderson, Edward R.
PY - 2014/7
Y1 - 2014/7
N2 - This study examined whether, as mothers' depressive symptoms increase, their expressions of negative emotion to children increasingly reflect aversion sensitivity and motivation to minimize ongoing stress or discomfort. In multiple interactions over 2 years, negative affect expressed by 319 mothers and their children was observed across variations in mothers' depressive symptoms, the aversiveness of children's immediate behavior, and observed differences in children's general negative reactivity. As expected, depressive symptoms predicted reduced maternal negative reactivity when child behavior was low in aversiveness, particularly with children who were high in negative reactivity. Depressive symptoms predicted high negative reactivity and steep increases in negative reactivity as the aversiveness of child behavior increased, particularly when high and continued aversiveness from the child was expected (i.e., children were high in negative reactivity). The findings are consistent with the proposal that deficits in parenting competence as depressive symptoms increase reflect aversion sensitivity and motivation to avoid conflict and suppress children's aversive behavior.
AB - This study examined whether, as mothers' depressive symptoms increase, their expressions of negative emotion to children increasingly reflect aversion sensitivity and motivation to minimize ongoing stress or discomfort. In multiple interactions over 2 years, negative affect expressed by 319 mothers and their children was observed across variations in mothers' depressive symptoms, the aversiveness of children's immediate behavior, and observed differences in children's general negative reactivity. As expected, depressive symptoms predicted reduced maternal negative reactivity when child behavior was low in aversiveness, particularly with children who were high in negative reactivity. Depressive symptoms predicted high negative reactivity and steep increases in negative reactivity as the aversiveness of child behavior increased, particularly when high and continued aversiveness from the child was expected (i.e., children were high in negative reactivity). The findings are consistent with the proposal that deficits in parenting competence as depressive symptoms increase reflect aversion sensitivity and motivation to avoid conflict and suppress children's aversive behavior.
KW - childhood development
KW - depression
KW - emotions
KW - interpersonal interaction
KW - motivation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84904322572&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0956797614531025
DO - 10.1177/0956797614531025
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
C2 - 24796661
AN - SCOPUS:84904322572
SN - 0956-7976
VL - 25
SP - 1353
EP - 1361
JO - Psychological Science
JF - Psychological Science
IS - 7
ER -