Parenting is a complex activity driven, in part, by parental emotional and physiological responses. However, work examining the physiological underpinnings of parenting behavior is still in its infancy, and very few studies have examined such processes beyond early childhood. The current study examines associations between Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) indices of parents' physiological reactivity to positive and negative mood states and observed parental affect during a series of discussion tasks with their adolescent child. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) was measured as an index of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activation while viewing film clips designed to induce neutral, sad, and amused mood states. Parental positive affect, anger, and distress were observed during a series of parent-child discussion tasks, which included an ambiguous discussion regarding adolescent growth, a conflict discussion, and a fun-activity planning discussion. Results supported the association between aspects of parental physiological reactivity and observed affect during dyadic interactions. Further, RSA interacted with maternal depression to predict observed positive affect, anger, and distress, although differences across tasks and specific emotions were found regarding the nature of the interaction effects. Overall, results suggest that such neurobiological processes may be particularly important predictors of parental behavior, particularly in at-risk populations. (PsycINFO Database Record
Peer victimization is a common and potentially detrimental experience for many adolescents. However, not all youth who are exposed to peer victimization experience maladaptive outcomes, such as depression. Thus, greater attention to potential moderators of peer victimization is particularly important. The current study examined the potential moderating effect of intrinsic religiosity and religious attendance on the longitudinal association between physical and relational victimization and depressive symptoms. A diverse sample of adolescents (N = 313; Mage = 17.13 years; 54% female; 49% Caucasian, 24% African American, 19% Latino, 8% mixed race/other; 80% Christian religious affiliation) were recruited from a rural, low-income setting. Adolescents completed self-report measures of religious attendance and intrinsic religiosity, and two forms of victimization (i.e., physical and relational) were assessed using sociometric procedures in 11th grade. Depressive symptoms were measured in both 11th and 12th grade. Results suggest that relational victimization is associated prospectively with depressive symptoms only under conditions of adolescents’ low intrinsic religiosity. Findings may contribute to efforts aimed at prevention and intervention among adolescents at risk for peer victimization and depression.
Although there is a substantial literature on rumination and depression, research examining neurocognitive processes related to rumination is just emerging, and few studies have examined such processes in relation to depression-risk in early adolescence. This study examined the associations between neurocognitive processes and trait-rumination in relation to familial risk for depression in nondepressed girls in early adolescence. Neurocognitive processes were assessed via EEG recording during an emotional Go/NoGo task, and analyses examined two Event-Related Potential components, including the Go and NoGo N2, reflecting attentional engagement and cognitive control processes respectively, and the Go and NoGo P3, reflecting motivated attention and inhibitory motor processes. In higher-risk youth, rumination was associated with specific alterations in both N2 and P3 amplitudes to nonemotional faces when required to enact a response, suggesting disrupted behavioral flexibility in adjusting responses to meet task demands. In lower-risk youth, however, greater rumination was associated with diminished engagement of top-down attention and cognitive control resources (i.e., attenuated N2 amplitudes), and enhanced activation of inhibitory motor control processes (i.e., enhanced P3 amplitudes). Results provide novel information regarding the association between depression-risk, rumination, and emotional processing in early adolescence that may have implications for risk-identification and prevention.
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