title: Effortful control moderates bidirectional effects between children's externalizing behavior and their mothers' depressive symptoms.
abstract: This study examined bidirectional associations between mothers' depressive symptoms and children's externalizing behavior and whether they were moderated by preschool-age effortful control and gender. Mothers and teachers reported on 224 primarily White, middle-class children at ages 3, 5, and 10. Effortful control was assessed via behavioral battery and mother ratings. Structural equation modeling indicated that maternal depressive symptoms at child age 3 predicted more externalizing behavior at age 10 among children with low effortful control and among boys. Externalizing behavior at age 3 predicted fewer depressive symptoms at the age 10 assessments among mothers of children with high effortful control. Boys with suboptimal self-regulation exposed to high levels of maternal depressive symptoms were at greatest risk for school-age behavioral problems.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: Sheryl L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: Arnold J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sameroff
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012927:Social Control, Informal