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04-06-2016 | Original Article

Empathic Responses to Mother’s Emotions Predict Internalizing Problems in Children of Depressed Mothers

Auteurs: Erin C. Tully, Meghan Rose Donohue

Gepubliceerd in: Child Psychiatry & Human Development | Uitgave 1/2017

Abstract

Recent theories posit that empathy, typically an adaptive characteristic, may be associated with internalizing problems when children are chronically exposed to mother’s depression. We tested this postulation in a sample of children (N = 82, M _age = 5 years). Children witnessed their mothers express sadness, anger, and happiness during a simulated phone conversation, and researchers rated children’s negative affective empathy, positive affective empathy, and information-seeking (cognitive empathy) in response to their mother’s emotions. The chronicity of mother’s depression during the child’s lifetime moderated associations between children’s empathy and internalizing problems. As predicted, all three empathy measures were related to greater mother-rated internalizing problems in children of chronically (i.e., 2–3 years) depressed mothers. Greater positive empathy was related to lower internalizing problems in children of nondepressed mothers. Positive empathy may contribute to adaptive processes when mothers are not depressed, and positive, negative, and cognitive empathy may contribute to maladaptive processes when mothers are chronically depressed.

vorige artikel Cognitive Bias as a Mediator in the Relation Between Fear-Enhancing Parental Behaviors and Anxiety Symptoms in Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

volgende artikel Antecedents of Treatment Resistant Depression in Children Victimized by Peers

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Titel: Empathic Responses to Mother’s Emotions Predict Internalizing Problems in Children of Depressed Mothers
Auteurs: Erin C. Tully
Meghan Rose Donohue
Publicatiedatum: 04-06-2016
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Child Psychiatry & Human Development / Uitgave 1/2017
Print ISSN: 0009-398X
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-3327
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0656-1

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