Adolescents’ Depressive Symptoms and Maternal Psychological Control
Maternal Psychological Control and Maternal Empathy
Adolescent-Effects
Gender Differences
The Current Study
Methods
Participants
Procedure
Measures
Statistical Analyses
Results
Descriptive Statistics
Variable | Age 13 M (SD) | Age 14 M (SD) | Age 15 M (SD) | Age 16 M (SD) | Age 17 M (SD) | Age 18 M (SD) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total sample | ||||||
Empathic concern M | 20.14 (3.34) | 20.79 (3.29) | 20.84 (3.47) | 20.62 (3.43) | 20.85 (3.39) | 20.83 (3.47) |
Perspective taking M | 18.39* (3.55) | 19.14 (3.55) | 19.40 (3.49) | 19.53 (3.74) | 19.68 (3.73) | 19.62* (3.82) |
Psychological control M | 14.18 (5.23) | 13.97 (5.45) | 14.18 (5.73) | 14.89* (5.94) | 14.39* (5.91) | 14.44* (6.12) |
Depressive symptoms A | 37.55** (11.34) | 34.60** (11.43) | 35.25** (12.05) | 35.90** (12.33) | 35.37** (11.78) | 36.60** (12.55) |
Boys | ||||||
Empathic concern M | 20.20 (3.38) | 20.74 (3.22) | 20.96 (3.37) | 20.66 (3.47) | 20.94 (3.34) | 20.78 (3.33) |
Perspective taking M | 18.64 (3.55) | 19.31 (3.37) | 19.62 (3.74) | 19.92 (3.52) | 19.88 (3.71) | 19.62 (3.82) |
Psychological control M | 14.22 (5.31) | 13.79 (5.36) | 13.71 (5.43) | 14.29 (5.64) | 13.84 (5.49) | 13.91 (6.02) |
Depressive symptoms A | 35.82 (10.28) | 31.89 (9.13) | 31.63 (8.23) | 32.58 (9.20) | 32.41 (8.67) | 34.05 (10.80) |
Girls | ||||||
Empathic concern M | 20.07 (3.29) | 20.84 (3.39) | 20.68 (3.60) | 20.58 (3.39) | 20.74 (3.45) | 20.89 (3.66) |
Perspective taking M | 18.07 (3.55) | 19.91 (3.76) | 19.11 (3.63) | 19.39 (3.74) | 19.37 (3.97) | 19.27 (3.94) |
Psychological control M | 14.13 (5.13) | 14.20 (5.56) | 14.81 (6.07) | 15.67 (6.24) | 15.08 (6.35) | 15.16 (6.19) |
Depressive symptoms A | 39.82 (12.25) | 38.21 (13.10) | 40.08 (14.45) | 40.25 (14.41) | 39.19 (13.99) | 40.05 (13.90) |
Model Construction
Baseline model used to test time-invariance against per relation | χ2
|
df
|
p
| χ2
|
df
|
P
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Empathic concern | Perspective taking | |||||
343.24 | 183 | < 0.001 | 331.70 | 183 | < 0.001 | |
Δχ2
| Δdf
|
p
| Δχ2
| Δdf
|
p
| |
Boys | ||||||
Empathy M → Psychological control M | 10.32 | 4 | 0.035 | 9.78 | 4 | 0.044 |
Psychological control M → Empathy M | 2.65 a
| 4 | 0.619 | 3.05 a
| 4 | 0.349 |
Psychological control M → Depression A | 1.59 a
| 4 | 0.811 | 1.85 a
| 4 | 0.764 |
Depression A → Psychological control M | 3.03 a
| 4 | 0.553 | 2.42 a
| 4 | 0.660 |
Depression A → Empathy M | 1.81 a
| 4 | 0.771 | 2.80 a
| 4 | 0.592 |
Empathy M → Depression A | 3.11 a
| 4 | 0.540 | 7.77 a
| 4 | 0.101 |
Girls | ||||||
Empathy M → Psychological control M | 2.34 a
| 4 | 0.674 | 4 a
| 4 | 0.406 |
Psychological control M → Empathy M | 0.43 a
| 4 | 0.980 | 1.71 a
| 4 | 0.789 |
Psychological control M → Depression A | 12.10 | 4 | 0.017 | 12.40 | 4 | 0.015 |
Depression A → Psychological control M | 12.37 | 4 | 0.015 | 12.89 | 4 | 0.012 |
Depression A → Empathy M | 2.21 a
| 4 | 0.697 | 4.70 a
| 4 | 0.320 |
Empathy M → Depression A | 4.43 a
| 4 | 0.351 | 0.79 a
| 4 | 0.940 |
Relations Between Adolescents’ Depressive Symptoms, Maternal Psychological Control and Maternal Empathy
Longitudinal relation | Empathic concern | Perspective taking | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
β
13-14
|
β
14-15
|
β
15-16
|
β
16-17
|
β
17-18
|
β
13-14
|
β
14-15
|
β
15-16
|
β
16-17
|
β
17-18
| |
Boys | ||||||||||
Empathy M → Psychological control M | 0.13* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* | 0.10* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* |
Psychological control M → Empathy M | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 | −0.03 | −0.03 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Psychological control M → Depression A | 0.07* | 0.08* | 0.07* | 0.08* | 0.07* | 0.07* | 0.08* | 0.07* | 0.08* | 0.07* |
Depression A → Psychological control M | 0.08* | 0.07* | 0.06* | 0.07* | 0.07* | 0.08* | 0.07* | 0.06* | 0.07* | 0.06* |
Depression A → Empathy M | −0.02 | −0.02 | −0.01 | −0.02 | −0.02 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 |
Empathy M → Depression A | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
Girls | ||||||||||
Empathy M → Psychological control M | −0.05* | −0.04* | −0.05* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* | −0.04* |
Psychological control M → Empathy M | −0.04 | −0.04 | −0.04 | −0.04 | −0.04 | −0.03 | −0.03 | −0.03 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Psychological control M → Depression A | 0.05* | 0.05* | 0.18* | 0.06* | −0.07 | 0.05* | 0.05* | 0.18* | 0.06* | −0.07 |
Depression A → Psychological control M | 0.22* | 0.23* | 0.01 | 0.08 | 0.01 | 0.21* | 0.23* | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.01 |
Depression A → Empathy M | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 | −0.01 |
Empathy M → Depression A | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
Psychological Control as a Mediator
Age 13–Age 15 | Age 14–Age 16 | Age 15–Age 17 | Age 16–Age 18 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
β
|
B
|
95 % CI
|
β
|
B
|
95 % CI
|
β
|
B
|
95 % CI
|
β
|
b
|
95 % CI
| |
Empathic concern | ||||||||||||
Girls | −0.002 | −0.010* | −0.021,-0.002 | −0.008 | −0.032* | −0.073,-0.003 | −0.003 | −0.010* | −0.021,-0.002 | 0.003 | 0.012 | −0.007,0.045 |
Boys | 0.011 | 0.026* | 0.005,0.063 | −0.003 | −0.010* | −0.021,-0.002 | −0.003 | −0.010* | −0.021,-0.002 | −0.003 | −0.010* | −0.021,-0.002 |
Perspective taking | ||||||||||||
Girls | −0.002 | −0.009* | −0.021,-0.002 | −0.007 | −0.028* | −0.073,-0.003 | −0.002 | −0.009* | −0.021,-0.002 | 0.003 | 0.011 | −0.004,0.042 |
Boys | −0.004 | −0.009* | −0.021,-0.002 | 0.007 | 0.019* | 0.003,0.046 | −0.003 | −0.009* | −0.021,-0.002 | −0.003 | −0.009* | −0.021,-0.002 |