Adolescent Gaze-Directed Attention During Parent–Child conflict: The Effects of Depressive Symptoms and Parent–Child Relationship Quality

Although dysfunctions in attention have been implicated in the development and maintenance of depression in adults, findings from studies of depressed adolescents have been inconsistent. While some research has shown that youth with depressive symptoms exhibit increased attention to negative stimuli, other findings demonstrated attentional avoidance. Additionally, given the increase in parent–child conflict during adolescence, parent–child relationship quality may be an important moderating factor in the association between depressive symptoms and attention. To examine how depressive symptoms and parent–child relationship quality during adolescence influence attention, 25 mother–daughter pairs (girls ages 11–16) completed a conflict discussion task while wearing mobile eye-tracking glasses. Results suggest that girls with low positive parent–child relationship quality and greater depressive symptoms may have difficulty disengaging from their mother during negative interactions, which may exacerbate depressive symptoms. Therefore, the parent–child relationship should be further considered in treatments that target maladaptive attention patterns in youth with depressive symptoms.