title: Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: Longitudinal Links with Maternal Empathy and Psychological Control.
abstract: Building on self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan in Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268. doi: 10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01 , 2000), the aim of the current study was to examine the role of maternal affective and cognitive empathy in predicting adolescents' depressive symptoms, through mothers' psychological control use. Less empathic mothers may be less sensitive to adolescents' need for psychological autonomy, and thus prone to violating this need using psychological control, which may in turn predict adolescents' depressive symptoms. Moreover, according to interpersonal theory of depression (Coyne in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85, 186-193. doi: 10.1037/0021-843x.85.2.186 , 1976), adolescents' depressive symptoms may elicit rejecting responses, such as mothers' psychological control. For six waves, 497 adolescents (57 % boys, M age T1 = 13.03) annually completed questionnaires on depressive symptoms and maternal psychological control, while mothers reported on their empathy. Cross-lagged path analyses showed that throughout adolescence, both mothers' affective and cognitive empathy indirectly predicted boys' and girls' depressive symptoms, through psychological control. Additionally, depressive symptoms predicted psychological control for boys, and early adolescent girls. These results highlight the importance of (1) mothers' affective and cognitive empathy in predicting adolescents' depressive symptoms, and (2) taking gender into account when examining adolescent-effects.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre Adolescence Development, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508TC, Utrecht, the Netherlands. L.A.A.Werner@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Lente L A A
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0714-845X
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Research Centre Adolescence Development, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508TC, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jolien Van
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: der Graaff
authors.affiliation: Research Centre Adolescence Development, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508TC, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim H J
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Meeus
authors.affiliation: Research Centre Adolescence Development, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.140, 3508TC, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Susan J T
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Branje
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Adolescence; Depressive symptoms; Maternal empathy; Psychological control; Self-determination theory