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Prospective Associations Between the Family Environment, Family Cohesion, and Psychiatric Symptoms Among Adolescent Girls

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Abstract

The present study used a longitudinal design to investigate whether parental values, interests, and the perceived level of expressiveness, cohesiveness and control in the family were associated with changes in psychiatric symptoms during early adolescence. We used data gathered at ages 12, 14 and 17 from 1,600 adolescent girls in the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study. Using a novel approach we found significant informant effects of family cohesion on psychiatric symptoms, with stronger associations for adolescent ratings than parental ratings. Multivariate modelling adjusting for family cohesion (from parents and adolescents perspective), and parents’ depressive and eating disorder symptoms indicated parental ratings on the intellectual and cultural orientation of the family predicted small but significant increases in eating disorder symptoms, anxiety and a reduction in self-worth 2-years later. Parental control also predicted a reduction in anxiety and family expressiveness was related to increases in self-worth.

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Acknowledgments

The NGHS was supported by a Grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (HL/DK71122). Participating NGHS Centers included Children’s Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH (Stephen R Daniels, MD, Principal Investigator, John A Morrison, PhD, Co-Investigator); Westat, Inc., Rockville, Maryland (George B Schreiber, ScD, Principal Investigator, Ruth Striegel-Moore, PhD, Co-Investigator) and University of California, Berkeley, California (Zak I Sabry, PhD, Principal Investigator, Patricia B Crawford, Dr PH, RD, Co-Investigator); Maryland Medical Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland (Bruce A Barton, PhD, Principal Investigator) served as the data coordinating center. Program Office: NHLBI (Eva Obarzanek, PhD, RD, Project Officer 1992-present, Gerald H Payne, MD, Project Officer 1985–1991).

The work was undertaken at The Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement, a UKCRC Public Health Research: Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council (RES-590-28-0005), Medical Research Council, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Wellcome Trust (WT087640MA), under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged (by Dr White).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Public Health Interventions (DECIPHer), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4YS, UK

    James White

  2. School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK

    Katherine H. Shelton

  3. Institute for Health and Social Policy and Douglas Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

    Frank J. Elgar

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  1. James White
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Correspondence to James White.

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White, J., Shelton, K.H. & Elgar, F.J. Prospective Associations Between the Family Environment, Family Cohesion, and Psychiatric Symptoms Among Adolescent Girls. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 45, 544–554 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0423-5

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