Abstract
The hypothesis examined in this study was that the interaction of maternal and adolescent depression would be a better predictor of adolescent social and cognitive functioning than either variable alone. A depression measure was completed by each of 89 young adolescents and their mothers. Social functioning was assessed by a teacher-completed measure and two ratings of videotaped mother-adolescent interactions, while cognitive functioning was assessed by a teacher-completed measure and academic grades. The results indicated that for four of the five criterion measures the interaction term was the only predictor which entered into the multiple regression equation. For two of these measures strong support was provided for the proposed hypothesis. The results were discussed in terms of maternal and adolescent resources available to facilitate adolescent functioning. Implications for clinicians and researchers were also noted.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beardslee, W. R., Bemporad, J., Keller, M. D., & Klerman, G. L. (1983). Children of parents with major affective disorders: A review.American Jounal of Psychiatry, 140 825–832.
Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979).Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press.
Cohen, S., Sherrod, D. R., & Clark, M. S. (1986). Social skills and the stress protective role of social support.Journal Of Personality and Social Psychology, 50 963–973.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis.Psychological Bulletin, 98 310–357.
Fauber, R., Forehand, R., Long, N., Burke, M., & Faust, J. (1987). The relationship of young adolescent Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) scores to their social and cognitive functioning.Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 9 161–172.
Faust, J., Baum, C. G., & Forehand, R. (1985). An examination of the association between social relationships and depression in early adolescence.Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 6 291–297.
Forehand, R., McCombs, A., & Brody, G. H. (1987). The relationship of parental depressive mood states to child functioning: An analysis by type of sample and area of child functioning examined.Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy, 9 1–20.
Harter, S. (1982). The Perceived Competence Scale for Children.Child Development, 53 87–97.
Jacobsen, R. H., Lahey, B. B., & Strauss, C. C. (1983). Corelates of depressed mood in normal children.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 11 29–40.
Kaslow, N. J., & Rehm, L. P. (1985). Conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of depression in children. In P. H. Bornstein & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.),Handbook of clinical behavior therapy with children (pp. 599–657). Homewood, IL: Dorsey.
Kaslow, N. J., Rehm, L. P., & Siegel, A. W. (1984). Social-cognitive and cognitive correlates of depression in children.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12 605–620.
Kazdin, A. E. (1981). Assessment techniques for childhood depression.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 20 358–375.
Kazdin, A. E. French, N. H., Unis, A. S., Esveldt-Dawson, K., & Sherick, R. B. (1983). Hopelessness, depression, and suicidal intent among psychiatrically disturbed inpatient children.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51 504–510.
Kovacs, M. (1981). Rating scales to assess depression in school aged children.Acta Paedopsychiatrica, 46 305–315.
Mullins, L. L., Siegel, L. J., & Hodges, K. (1985). Cognitive problem-solving and life event correlates of depressive symptoms in children.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 13 305–314.
Orvashel, H. (1983). Maternal depression and child dysfunction: Children at risk. In B. B. Lahey & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.),Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 6, pp. 169–197). New York: Plenum.
Robin, A. L., Koepke, T., & Nayor, M. (1986). Conceptualizing, assessing, and treating parentadolescent conflict. In B. B. Lahey & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.),Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 9, pp. 87–124). New York: Plenum.
Sacco, W. P., & Graves, D. J. (1984). Childhood depression, interpersonal problem-solving, and self-ratings of performance.Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 13 10–15.
Steinberg, L. (1987). Impact of puberty on family relations: Effects of pubertal status and pubertal timing.Developmental Psychology, 23 251–460.
Strauss, C. C., Forehand, R. L., Frame, C., & Smith, K. (1984). Characteristics of children with extreme scores on the Children's Depression Inventory.Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 13 227–231.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported in part by the William T. Grant Foundation, NIMH grant MH 40704, and the University of Georgia's Institute for Behavioral Research. Nicholas Long is now at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Forehand, R., Brody, G.H., Long, N. et al. The interactive influence of adolescent and maternal depression on adolescent social and cognitive functioning. Cogn Ther Res 12, 341–350 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173302
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173302