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Adolescent Gaze-Directed Attention During Parent–Child conflict: The Effects of Depressive Symptoms and Parent–Child Relationship Quality

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Abstract

Although dysfunctions in attention have been implicated in the development and maintenance of depression in adults, findings from studies of depressed adolescents have been inconsistent. While some research has shown that youth with depressive symptoms exhibit increased attention to negative stimuli, other findings demonstrated attentional avoidance. Additionally, given the increase in parent–child conflict during adolescence, parent–child relationship quality may be an important moderating factor in the association between depressive symptoms and attention. To examine how depressive symptoms and parent–child relationship quality during adolescence influence attention, 25 mother–daughter pairs (girls ages 11–16) completed a conflict discussion task while wearing mobile eye-tracking glasses. Results suggest that girls with low positive parent–child relationship quality and greater depressive symptoms may have difficulty disengaging from their mother during negative interactions, which may exacerbate depressive symptoms. Therefore, the parent–child relationship should be further considered in treatments that target maladaptive attention patterns in youth with depressive symptoms.

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Acknowledgements

They thank Marcie Walker, Marcus Min, Lindsey Stone, Julianne Griffith, and Sara Naselsky for their help in conducting assessments and data acquisition for this project, and the participants of the study for their time and willingness to provide data.

Funding

This project was supported by NIMH Grant R01 MH103241 awarded to J.S.S. R.B.P. is supported by NIMH Grant K23MH100259.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Emily A. Hutchinson, Dana Rosen, Marlissa Amole & Jennifer S. Silk

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Rebecca B. Price & Jennifer S. Silk

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Kristy Allen

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  1. Emily A. Hutchinson
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  2. Dana Rosen
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Correspondence to Emily A. Hutchinson.

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Hutchinson, E.A., Rosen, D., Allen, K. et al. Adolescent Gaze-Directed Attention During Parent–Child conflict: The Effects of Depressive Symptoms and Parent–Child Relationship Quality. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 50, 483–493 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-018-0856-y

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