Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology Among Male Youth: The Joint and Interactive Contribution of Temperament and Executive Functioning

Abstract

Few studies have investigated the combined effects of temperament and executive functioning (EF) on anxious and depressive symptomatology in youth. The current study is the first to investigate the joint and interactive contribution of mother- and youth self-reported affective dimensions of temperament and EF to the explanation of anxious and depressive symptomatology. Participants included 174 adolescent males (Mage = 13.6 ± 1.35). Results confirmed the joint and interactive contribution of temperament in the explanation of anxious and depressive symptomatology. Further, EF contributed to the explanation of anxious/depressive symptomatology via interaction with youth-, but not mother-reported, temperament; it was not a unique predictor. Results support the need to consider both affective dimensions of temperament and EF in etiological models of anxious and depressive symptomatology, which has implications for identifying at-risk youth and developing early intervention and targeted problem-specific prevention programs.

Exploring Effortful Control as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Negative Affect and Child Psychopathology

“…The etiology of child psychopathology is complex and multifactorial [15,18,19], and depends on the influence of numerous risk and protective factors [20,21]. However, as a broad range of findings show, temperament is a consistent contributor to the manifestation and maintenance of varied forms of psychopathology in youth [15,22,23,24]. Connections among temperament, personality, and psychopathology are frequently reported, although substantial work still needs to be done to help us better understand the nature and implications of these relationships (see 18 for review).…”

“…Decades of studies have demonstrated links between NA and internalizing psychopathology, specifically [24,42,53]. NA frequently contributes to anxiety and depressive symptoms, which may confer risk for internalizing psychopathology, such as mood disorders [54].…”

Exploring Effortful Control as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Negative Affect and Child Psychopathology

“…Decades of studies have demonstrated links between NA and internalizing psychopathology, speci cally [24,42,53]. NA frequently contributes to anxiety and depressive symptoms, which may confer risk for internalizing psychopathology, such as mood disorders [54].…”

“…However, as a broad range of ndings show, temperament is a consistent contributor to the manifestation and maintenance of varied forms of psychopathology in youth [15,22,23,24]. Connections among temperament, personality, and psychopathology are frequently reported, although substantial work still needs to be done to help us better understand the nature and implications of these relationships (see 18 for review).…”

“…More recently, two broad, higher-order dimensions of temperament (i.e., negative and positive temperament) have proved particularly useful to examine in efforts to distinguish among different forms of psychopathology [26,27]. Negative temperament encompasses heightened negative emotional and behavioral reactivity (e.g., fear, sadness, anger, frustration), while positive temperament refers to reward sensitivity and sociability [24]. Extreme levels of either of these dimensions of temperament may relate prospectively to psychopathology across the lifespan; depending on the degree to which an individual deviates from normative ranges on each dimension, different patterns of psychopathology may emerge.…”