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Early adolescents' temperament, emotion regulation during mother–child interactions, and depressive symptomatology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2011

Marie B. H. Yap ,
Nicholas B. Allen ,
Melissa O'Shea ,
Patricia di Parsia ,
Julian G. Simmons  and
Lisa Sheeber
Marie B. H. Yap
Affiliation:
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre University of Melbourne
Nicholas B. Allen*
Affiliation:
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre University of Melbourne
Melissa O'Shea
Affiliation:
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre
Patricia di Parsia
Affiliation:
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre
Julian G. Simmons
Affiliation:
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre University of Melbourne
Lisa Sheeber
Affiliation:
Oregon Research Institute
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Nicholas B. Allen, Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia; E-mail: nba@unimelb.edu.au.
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Abstract

This study examined the relations among temperament, emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms in early adolescents. Early adolescents provided self-reports of temperament on two occasions, as well as reports on emotion regulation and depressive symptomatology. Furthermore, 163 of these adolescents participated in event-planning and problem-solving interactions with their mothers. Adolescents with temperaments that were high in negative emotionality or low in effortful control displayed more emotionally dysregulated behaviors during the interaction tasks, reported having maladaptive responses to negative affect more often and adaptive responses less often, and had more depressive symptoms. In particular, adolescents with the high negative emotionality and low effortful control temperament combination reported the highest levels of depressive symptomatology. Sequential analyses of family interactions indicated that adolescents with more depressive symptoms were more likely to reciprocate their mothers' negative affective behaviors. Adolescents' adaptive and maladaptive responses to negative affect mediated the associations between their temperament and concurrent depressive symptoms.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 267 - 282
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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