Parenting and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Future Time Perspective

Abstract

This study investigated the relations between maternal and paternal rearing practices and adolescents' depressive symptoms, and whether time perspective in adolescence explains these links. The sample included 306 students (158 girls), aged between 10.83 and 14.42 years. Adolescents completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of maternal and paternal acceptance and psychological control, and of their future time perspective and depressive symptoms. Adolescents who rated their mothers as more accepting and those who rated their fathers as less psychologically controlling also reported lower levels of depressive symptoms and greater future time perspective. Further, adolescents who had greater future time perspective reported lower levels of depressive symptoms. Finally, time perspective partially mediated the relations of maternal and paternal acceptance, and paternal control with depressive symptoms in adolescence. The findings highlight the unique relations of maternal acceptance and paternal psychological control with adolescents' depressive symptoms, and that future time perspective is one mechanism that might explain why parenting strategies are linked with depressive symptoms in adolescence.

Sympathy for violent radicalization among college students in Quebec (Canada): The protective role of a positive future orientation.

“…Negative thoughts about the future, the self, and the world are the elements of Beck's cognitive theory of depression (Beck, 1979), and these aspects partly overlap with the concept of negative future orientation. Overall, previous literature on the link between future orientation and depression found that a more positive future orientation was linked to fewer depressive symptoms in both adolescent and young adult samples (Allwood, Baetz, DeMarco, & Bell, 2012;Diaconu-Gherasim, Bucci, Giuseppone, & Brumariu, 2017;Hirsch et al, 2007). There is also some evidence supporting the possible protective and moderating role of a positive future orientation in the link between depression and suicide (Chin & Holden, 2013;Hamilton et al, 2015).…”

“…Although associated, evidence has however shown that depression and future orientation are two distinct constructs. Depression involves negative and emotional interpretations, as well as a generalized pessimism about the future that are not part of future orientation, which in contrast refers to specific beliefs toward the future (Chin & Holden, 2013; Diaconu-Gherasim et al, 2017). Although the relation between depression and future orientation is still in need of further investigation, these findings suggest the importance of considering one’s future orientation when investigating the impact of depressive symptoms on emotional-behavioral adjustment outcomes (e.g., suicide, delinquency).…”

Parental burnout in Romania: Validity of the Romanian version of the parental burnout assessment (PBA‐RO)

“…Romanian researchers have studied parental practices mainly from the perspective of clinical, developmental, and positive psychology. Those based on clinical conceptual models explored the negative outcomes of low acceptance or/and high parental control as: adolescents' perfectionism (Damian, Stoeber, Negru-Subțiricȃ, & Bȃban, 2013) and depressive symptoms (Diaconu-Gherasim, Bucci, Giuseppone, & Brumariu, 2017). In developmental studies association between parental practices and identity development in adolescence (Negru-Subțiricȃ, Pop, Luyckx, Dezutter, & Steger, 2016 and relationship between mother-child similarities in value orientations in adolescence and perceived maternal parenting (Friedlmeier & Trommsdorff, 2011) were highlighted.…”

Depressive Symptoms and Achievement Goals: Parental Rejection as a Moderator

“…The mother’s behavior, based on acceptance and warm relations, fulfills the primary need for affection, while the father figure has been linked to greater intellectual functioning, enhanced self-concept and improved academic success (DuBois, Eitel, & Felner, 1994; Wagner & Phillips, 1992). The studies conducted with the Romanian samples of early adolescents suggest that mothers may influence a child’s adjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms) primarily by assuming a nurturing role, whereas the father’s influence may be rooted in the level of parental control and discipline (Diaconu-Gherasim, Bucci, Giuseppone, & Brumariu, 2017). These results were explained by the fact that fathers interact less often with their children, and the interactions are frequently around instrumental goals (e.g., school achievement; Collins & Russell, 1991).…”