1. This research was supported by NIAAA K01AA015059.
Family Communication, Coping, and Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescents
Ashley Pantaleao, MA,1,2 Anna Vannucci,MS,2 Emily Simpson,MA,2,3 Juliet Bradley PhD, LSW,4 Christine McCauley Ohannessian, PhD,2,5
University of Maryland1, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center2, University of Connecticut3, Kaplan University4, University of Connecticut School of Medicine5
Results
Results
Background
The influence of family functioning, including communication, may help buffer against adolescent anxiety and depression.
Adolescent-parent communication has been shown to correlate significantly with adolescent self-esteem and positive or action based coping skills.
Adolescent-parent communication may function to enhance adolescent emotion regulation abilities through social support mechanisms.
Multiple group analysis
To determine if separate path models for the longitudinal analyses were needed for girls and boys, multiple group comparison analysis was conducted.
Parameter estimates varied by gender, as indicated by significant chi-square tests for the structural means, covariances, and residuals (X2(38) = 67.05, p <.01; X2(48) = , p <.001; X2(52) = , p <.001; X2(58) = , p <.001; X2(97) = , p <.001) suggesting girls and boys should be examined separately.
Indices of model fit suggested that the specified model fit the data well when examining girls and boys separately (X2(44) = , p <.001; NFI = .94; CFI = .94; RMSEA = .06).
Figure 2. Results for Girls
Adolescent-Mother Communication Pathways
Greater adolescent-mother communication predicted
- Higher anxiety symptoms (β= .14, p<.05).
- Lower use of denial (β= -.11, p<.05)
- Greater use of active coping (β= .11, p<.05), emotional
social support (β= .11, p<.05), and humor (β= .12,
p<.05).
Greater use of humor predicted lower internalizing symptoms (depressive symptoms: β= p<.01); anxiety symptoms: β= .23, p<.001), which was a significant mediator.
Adolescent-Father Communication Pathways
No significant direct effects were found with internalizing symptoms.
Greater adolescent-father communication significantly predicted more religious coping (β=0.14, p<.05).
Note: * p <.05, ** p <.01, *** p <.001
Objectives
Identify whether adolescents’ communication with their mothers and fathers differentially predicted internalizing symptomatology (i.e., depression and anxiety).
To understand whether coping skills mediated these longitudinal relationships.
Figure 1. Longitudinal Pathways for Boys
Adolescent-Mother Communication Pathways
No significant direct effects were found with internalizing symptoms.
Greater adolescent-mother communication predicted more active coping (β= .15, p<.05), emotional social support (β= .14, p<.05), and planning (β= .15, p<.05).
No coping strategies predicted internalizing symptoms, nor did they mediate the relationship adolescent-mother communication and internalizing symptoms (ps > .05).
Adolescent-Father Communication Pathways
Greater adolescent-father communication predicted
- Lower internalizing symptoms (depressive: β= -.19,
p<.05; anxiety: β= -.24, p<.05).
- Lower use of emotional social support (β= -.13, p<.05)
and venting emotions (β= -.16, p<.05).
Greater use of venting emotions predicted higher internalizing symptoms (depressive: β= .35, p<.001; anxiety: β= .35, p<.01), which was a significant mediator.
Note: * p <.05, ** p <.01, *** p <.001
Methods
Participants:
1,036 10th and 11th grade students from suburban public high schools in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.
53% female; Baseline age: M =16.15, SD=.75 years.
Race/ethnicity: 58% non-Hispanic White, 23% African American, 12% Hispanic, 2% Asian, and 6% Other.
Procedures:
Surveys were administered in seven public high schools during the spring of 2007 (Time 1), 2008 (Time 2), and 2009 (Time 3).
Measures:
Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale: open and problem communication between adolescents and their mothers and fathers at Time 1 (α = ).
COPE inventory: Dispositional use of coping strategies at Time 2, including: venting emotions, instrumental social support, active coping, denial, religious coping, humor, emotional social support, and planning (α = ).
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children: depressive symptoms in the past week at Times 1 (used as a covariate) & 3 (α= .91).
Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders: total anxiety symptoms in the past 3 months at Times 1 (used as a covariate) & 3 (α = ).
Conclusions
Conclusions
Findings highlight the importance of adolescent-parent communication and specific coping skills in the etiology of internalizing symptomatology during adolescence.
Consistent with social learning theory, the predictive relationships between communication and internalizing symptoms occurred across same-sex adolescent-parent.
Family-based interventions are warranted to prevent depression and anxiety in adolescents with coping skill targets tailored based on gender.
Boys’ relationships with their father and girls’ relationships with their mother may be particularly important to focus on during interventions.
References
This research was supported by NIAAA K01AA
To obtain a copy of this poster, please visit adolescentadjustmentproject.org.