title: Parental verbal affection and verbal aggression in childhood differentially influence psychiatric symptoms and wellbeing in young adulthood.
abstract: Previous research has shown that exposure to parental verbal aggression is common and associated with increased levels of depression, anxiety, dissociation, and drug use. A key question that has not been addressed is whether verbal affection from the same or opposite parent can attenuate the effects of verbal aggression. This cross-sectional study examined the effects of parental verbal aggression and affection during childhood on measures of psychopathology and wellbeing in a community sample of 2,518 individuals (18-25 years). Data were analyzed for moderating influences using mixed effect models and for direct and indirect effects using structural equation models. The moderation analysis suggested that high levels of exposure to verbal affection did not mitigate the effects of verbal aggression from the same parent, and high levels of verbal affection from another parent did not generally result in a significant attenuation of the effects of verbal aggression. Structural equation models showed that verbal aggression was predominantly associated with effects on psychiatric symptoms scores, whereas verbal affection was primarily associated with effects on measures of wellbeing. These findings highlight the relatively independent effects of verbal aggression and verbal affection and suggest that the latter may be particularly important in establishing a foundation for emotional and physical wellbeing. These findings also suggest that ridicule, disdain, and humiliation cannot be easily counteracted by praise and warmth from the same or another parent.
authors.affiliation: Northeastern University, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polcari
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
authors.forename: Keren
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rabi
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bolger
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Teicher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; Parent; Verbal affection; Verbal aggression; Wellbeing