Perceived Family Environment and Symptoms of Emotional Disorders: The Role of Perceived Control, Attributional Style, and Attachment

Abstract

Findings from decades of research suggest that a perceived lack of parental care and overprotection are positively related to later symptoms of emotional disorders in children and adolescents. The present study used a crosssectional design to evaluate models investigating reported family environment during childhood, current attachments, control-related cognitions, and current symptoms of emotional disorders in adolescence. It was hypothesized the effect of a perceived controlling and rejecting family environment during childhood would influence current depression and anxiety, and that these effects would be partially accounted for by the quality of current attachments, perceived control, and attributional style. A sample of 234 university students was assessed. Regression analyses of variables, including analyses of indirect effects, were conducted. As predicted, current attachment, perceived control, and attributional style helped to account for relationships between some family variables, and depression and anxiety. Findings are discussed with respect to the interplay of family variables and models of emotional disorders.

Testing a developmental model of anxiety with the Parental Facilitation of Mastery Scale

“…Using a clinical adult sample, McGinn et al (2005) found no relationship between parental overprotection and anxiety and were therefore unable to test for mediation. Rekart, Mineka, Zinbarg, and Griffith (2007) found a relationship between paternal overcontrol and anxiety among undergraduates, but found no evidence that perceived control mediated this relationship. Ballash, Pemble, Usui, Buckley, and Woodruff-Borden (2006) examined two models using an undergraduate population, one in which control beliefs mediated the relationship between family environment and anxiety and one in which control beliefs moderated this relationship; results provided support for the mediation model and not the moderation model, meaning that control beliefs do not alter the nature of the relationship between family environment and anxiety, rather they explain the relationship between these two constructs.…”

Family Factors in the Development, Treatment, and Prevention of Childhood Anxiety Disorders

“…Higher levels of family conflict have been associated with higher levels of child anxiety symptoms based on child (Messer and Beidel 1994) and parent report (Stark et al 1990). Prospective studies of this relationship are rare; however, one retrospective study found that higher levels of conflict during childhood predicted anxiety symptoms during adulthood (Rekart et al 2007). This association was modest and only true for females.…”

“…This association was modest and only true for females. Furthermore, there was evidence that the relationship between conflict and anxiety was, in large part, accounted for by a pessimistic cognitive style (Rekart et al 2007). It may be that other factors help explain or moderate the association between conflict and anxiety.…”

Parenting practices and markers of mental health in adolescence

“…En el modelo final (Figura 2) se incluyó la influencia de las competencias socioemocionales sobre la Resiliencia y la Autoestima, así como norMa a. ruvaLCaba-roMero, JuLia GaLLeGos-GuaJardo, viCente e. CabaLLo M., diana viLLeGas-Guinea lo encontrado en investigaciones previas (i.e., Newcomb et al, 2007;Cuervo, 2010;Santander et al, 2008), con excepción de las correlaciones específicas de imposición parental y resiliencia e imposición materna y competencias socioemocionales. En general, los resultados sugieren que los estilos parentales positivos facilitan el desarrollo de una buena salud mental y, por el contrario, los estilos negativos se asocian con su deterioro.…”

“…La familia y el ambiente familiar han sido temáticas abordadas con gran interés debido a su influencia sobre el desarrollo y el comportamiento de los hijos (García-Núñez, 2005;Newcomb, Mineka, Zinbarg y Griffith, 2007). Es la familia quien permite el desarrollo de habilidades sociales y emocionales de los hijos a través de diferentes acciones (Cuervo, 2010).…”