The Relationship Between Perceived Family Support and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: What is the Moderating Role of Coping Strategies and Gender?
This study examined the moderating role of gender and coping strategies in the relationship between perceived family support, self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Data were used from the My World Survey Second Level (MWS-SL), a national survey of mental health among 6062 young people aged 12-19 years. Conditional process analyses indicated that planned coping moderated the relationship between perceived family support and depressive symptoms for those engaging in low-moderate levels but not high levels of planned coping, and this moderating role was stronger for females than males. Avoidance coping was a moderator for those engaging in moderate-high but not low levels of avoidance coping, and gender also moderated this relationship. Support-focused coping only moderated the perceived family support/depressive symptoms relationship for females. Findings suggest that the strength of the relationship between perceived family support and depressive symptoms depends on level of engagement with a particular coping strategy, and this engagement is a consistently stronger moderator for females.
University College Dublin School of Psychology, Newman Building, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Emma
E
Hickey
University College Dublin School of Psychology, Newman Building, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. amanda.fitzgerald@ucd.ie.
Amanda
0000-0001-6873-5474
A
Fitzgerald
University College Dublin School of Psychology, Newman Building, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Barbara
B
Dooley
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Adolescence; Coping strategies; Depressive symptoms; Gender; Perceived family support