Relatie tussen depressieve symptomen van moeder en internaliserende problemen van de adolescent en de mediërende rol van moederlijke warmte in de moeder-kind interactie

Abstract

The present study examined whether the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent internalizing problems was mediated by maternal warmth in the mother-child interaction. Previous studies have measured child mental health solely from maternal reports. This may cause reporting bias, therefore the current study used both maternal and self-reports to measure adolescent internalizing problems. The sample consisted of 200 adolescents with a average age of 11.6 years, including 102 girls and 96 boys, and their mothers. Adolescents were examined in the last year of elementary school through elementary schools nationwide. During the conflict task, mother-child interactions were observed using the Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics (CAID method). Results showed that there was a postitive relationship between mother's depressive symptoms and adolescent's internalizing problems. This suggests that when mothers experience symptoms of depression, adolescents are more likely to develop internalizing problems. This relationship was not mediated by maternal warmth. Moreover, the adolescents themselves reported significantly more internalizing problems than their mothers. Other factors in the mother-child interaction may possibly play a more important role. It is important to involve mothers in early detection, prevention and appropriate interventions for adolescent internalizing problems beyond just the adolescent themselves. Further research is needed to better understand maternal warmth and other important factors in mother-child interaction.