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Coping and Stress Reactivity as Moderators of Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Youth’s Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

Journal of Youth and Adolescence volume 48, pages 1580–1591 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Youth’s responses to stress are a central feature of risk and resilience across development. The current study examined whether youth coping and stress reactivity moderate the association of current maternal depressive symptoms with youth’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Mothers (Mage = 41.58, SD = 6.18) with a wide range of depressive symptoms and their children ages 9–15 (Mage = 12.25, SD = 1.89, 45.3% girls) completed measures of youth symptoms and coping and automatic responses to stress. Mothers also completed a self-report measure of depressive symptoms. Youth’s primary and secondary control coping, stress reactivity, and involuntary disengagement moderated the association between current maternal depressive symptoms and youth symptoms. Maternal depressive symptoms were associated with youth’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms when youth used low as opposed to high levels of primary and secondary control coping. Conversely, maternal depressive symptoms were associated with youth symptoms for youth with high levels of stress reactivity and involuntary disengagement. The findings suggest interventions focused on improving the use of primary and secondary control coping skills and reducing reactivity and involuntary disengagement to stress may benefit youth with mothers who are experiencing high levels of depressive symptoms.

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Notes

  1. Mother-reports of youth primary control coping (β = −0.15, p < 0.05), secondary control coping (β = −0.16, p < 0.05), and stress reactivity (β = 0.15, p < 0.05) all significantly moderated the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and youth’s internalizing symptoms (β = −0.30 to 0.15, ps < 0.01). Youth-report of child primary control coping (β = −0.31, p < 0.01), secondary control coping (β = −0.23, p < 0.01), stress reactivity (β = 0.15, p < 0.01), and involuntary disengagement (β = 0.28, p < 0.05) all significantly moderated the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and youth’s internalizing symptoms. Neither mother reports of disengagement coping (β = 0.08, p = 0.65), involuntary disengagement coping (β = 0.16, p = 0.13) nor youth reports of disengagement coping (β = 0.01, p = 0.96) were significant moderators of the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and youth’s internalizing symptoms.

  2. Mother-report of youth primary control coping (β = −0.02, p = 0.78) and stress reactivity (β = 0.08, p = 0.28) did not significantly predict the relationship between maternal depression and youth’s externalizing problems. Mother-report of youth secondary control coping (β = −0.19, p < 0.05) did significantly moderate the relationship between maternal depression and youth’s externalizing symptoms. Youth-report of child primary control coping (β = −0.25, p < 0.01), secondary control coping (β = −0.28, p < 0.01), and stress reactivity (β = 0.19, p < 0.01) all significantly moderated the relationship between maternal depression and youth’s externalizing symptoms. Neither mother report of disengagement coping (β = 0.18, p = 0.33), involuntary disengagement coping (β = 0.08, p = 0.62) nor youth report of disengagement coping (β = 0.08, p = 0.67) or involuntary disengagement coping (β = 0.19, p = 0.28) were significant moderators of the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and children’s externalizing symptoms.

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Authors’ Contributions

A.V. conducted all data analyses and was the lead author in writing the paper; A.H.B. collaborated with the writing of the manuscript; MR helped design and execute the study; J.P.D. helped design and execute the study; K.H.W. helped design and execute the study; M.A.G. helped design and execute the study; B.E.C. designed and executed the study, assisted with the data analyses and in the writing and editing of the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by a gift from Patricia and Rodes Hart and from an anonymous donor.

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This manuscript’s data will not be deposited.

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  1. Department of Psychology & Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Peabody 552, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Allison Vreeland, Alexandra H. Bettis, Michelle M. Reising, Jennifer P. Dunbar, Kelly H. Watson, Meredith A. Gruhn & Bruce E. Compas

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  1. Allison Vreeland
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Correspondence to Allison Vreeland.

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Vreeland, A., Bettis, A.H., Reising, M.M. et al. Coping and Stress Reactivity as Moderators of Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Youth’s Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms. J Youth Adolescence 48, 1580–1591 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01033-y

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Keywords

  • Coping
  • Stress reactivity
  • Maternal depression