Parental Depression, Parenting, and Youth Outcomes

1
Parental Depression, Parenting, and Youth Outcomes

• Karen L. Franck
• Cheryl Buehler
• University of Tennessee

2
Literature Review

• Most findings show that parental depression
  negatively affects youth outcomes.
• Most studies have focused primarily on maternal
  depression.
• Little is know about the role of paternal
  depression on child outcomes.

3
Literature Review (Cont.)

• Depressed mothers are more likely to use negative
  and harsh parenting styles with their children.

4
Research Questions

• Are maternal and paternal depression associated
  with poorer youth adjustment?
• Is there a difference in childrens adjustment
  based on gender of the depressed parent?
• Do parenting control behaviors such as hostility,
  inconsistency and psychological intrusiveness
  mediate the association between parental
  depression and youth maladjustment?

5
Methods

• 417 families in a southeast county
• Mothers, father, and a 6th grade child. All first
  marriagesno stepfamilies included.
• Questionnaires completed by youth, mothers, and
  fathers.

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Self-report Measures

• Externalizing and internalizing youth problem
  behaviors
• Youth Self-Report
• Child Behavior Checklist (parent report)
• Parental depression
• Becks Depression Inventory
• Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression
  scale

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Self-Report Measures, cont.

• Coercive and Controlling Parenting Behaviors
• Composite of youth report and parent self- report
  of parenting behavior
• Hostility
• Inconsistency
• Psychological intrusiveness

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Sample Characteristics

• Mean age 12.2 years (SD .66)
• 50.1 daughters
• 94 Caucasian, 5 African American
• 60 of mothers reported no financial hardship or
  worries

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Data Analysis

• Structural Equation Modeling
• Separate models for mothers and fathers
• Model fit compared for sons and daughters

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Base Model
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Initial Model Maternal Depression and Youth
Outcomes
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Initial Model Paternal Depression and Youth
Outcomes
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Mediating Effects of Mothering
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Mediating Effects of Fathering
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Summary of Findings

• Maternal and paternal depression have an effect
  on youth problem behaviors.
• Models work equally well for girls and boys.
• Coercive and controlling parenting behaviors
  mediate the relationship between parental
  depression and youth problem behaviors.

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Strengths

• Very little missing data
• Information gathered from both parents and child
  on measures of parenting behaviors
• Reports of depression from both mothers and
  fathers

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Limitations

• Use of self-report measures
• Generalizability of results to regional
  population but not national population
• Only one wave of data

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Family Life Project

• NIMH-funded longitudinal study of adolescent
  development and family conflict
• http//web.utk.edu/famlife/