Family functioning, hopelessnes and adolescents' depressive symptoms: moderating effects of gender, age and socio-economic status

Rodríguez-Naranjo, María Carmen; Caño-González, Antonio

Family functioning, hopelessnes and adolescents' depressive symptoms: moderating effects of gender, age and socio-economic status

Rodríguez-Naranjo, María Carmen,Caño-González, Antonio

Published: 2017-05-03
Repository: riuma.uma.es
Language: en

Abstract

Research has shown that difficulties in family functioning contribute to developing adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Since family functioning is primarily defined by broadband variables like cohesion or support, which represent family functioning as a whole, it is necessary to carry out a more fine-grained analysis of the family variables that are involved in the development of depressive symptoms at these ages. This study examined the relations between the family variables included in the MacMaster Model of Family Functioning (MMFF) and adolescents’ depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating effects of socio-demographic characteristics. Participants were 643 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (49% male) drawn from secondary schools in Málaga (Spain). They completed the Family Assessment Device, which assesses the MMFF variables: problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, affective involvement and behavior control; the Beck Depression Inventory; the Beck Hopelessness Scale; and a socio-economic measure. The analytic strategy used was regression analysis, testing moderation and mediation effects. Results showed that both family functioning as a whole and each MMFF variable, as well as socio-economic status (SES), predicted adolescents’ depressive symptoms. In addition, gender moderated the relation of family behavior control and roles with depressive symptoms. Moreover, age moderated the relation between family affective involvement and depressive symptoms. Also, SES moderated the relation of family behavior control, roles, communication and affective responsiveness with depressive symptoms. Finally, both family functioning and SES contributed to hopelessness, which partially mediated the effect of family functioning on depressive symptoms, and totally mediated the effect of SES on depressive symptoms. These results point to the importance of identifying the family variables that are relevant for the design of interventions to prevent affective disturbances in adolescents with different socio-demographic characteristics. The effect of low family SES on adolescents’ depressive symptoms through the development of hopelessness should also be targeted.

Full text

FAMILY FUNCTIONING AND ADOLESCENT ADJUSTMENT Adolescents' perceptions of their reciprocal relationships with their parents: prospective associations with self-esteem, life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Diego Gómez-Baya & Ramón Mendoza The adaptation of the children of different family modalities according to undergraduates. Esperanza Mª Ceballos-Vacas, Beatriz Triana-Pérez & Juan Antonio RodríguezHernández Family functioning, hopelessness and adolescents’ depressive symptoms: Moderating effects of gender, age and socio-economic status. Carmen Rodríguez-Naranjo & Antonio Caño Exploratory analysis of the interaction between personal well-being in adolescence and the characteristics of family context: typological classification of the secondary students. Ramón Mendoza, Diego Gómez-Baya & Antonia Rubio González FAMILY FUNCTIONING, HOPELESSNESS AND ADOLESCENTS’ DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS: MODERATING EFFECTS OF GENDER, AGE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Carmen Rodríguez-Naranjo & Antonio Caño University of Málaga Depressive symptoms during adolescence Family functioning Family Functioning and Adolescent Depression BROADBAND VARIABLES: Family Functioning and Adolescent Depression Different impact depending on socio-demographic characteristics Age Protective effect of parental support in youngers (Sitjsema et al., 2014) No age differences (Garnefski, 2000) Gender Protective effect of family cohesion on girls (Guassi, Moreira & Telzer, 2015) No gender differences (Houltberg, Henry, Merten & Robinson, 2011) Family SES SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS (SES) in the development of emotional disorders in adolescents decreases the effect of low SES on adolescents’ aggression (Stouthamer-Loeber et al., 2002) Positive family functioning Does POSITIVE FAMILY FUNCTIONING BUFFER the effect of low SES on ADOLESCENT DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS? VARIABLES IN OUR STUDY McMaster Model of Family Functioning (MMFF; Miller et al., 2000) PROBLEM SOLVING COMMUNICATION ROLES AFFECTIVE RESPONSIVENESS AFFECTIVE INVOLVEMENT BEHAVIORAL CONTROL Family Functioning and Adolescent Depression Adolescents’ overall perceptions of family functioning (total MMFF scores) No study has examined the relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of specific MMFF variables and their depressive symptoms DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS Family functioning on depression: Role of hopelessness Does HOPELESSNESS would EXPLAIN the effects of FAMILY FUNCTIONING on ADOLESCENT DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS? DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HOPELESSNESS FAMILY FUNCTIONING 4 6 8 10 12 14 Low BC High BC BDI scores Low SES High SES DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HOPELESSNESS FAMILY FUNCTIONING Controlling gender, age and SES Mediation Process Analysis (Hayes, 2013) Family functioning, hopelessness and depressive symptoms DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HOPELESSNESS FAMILY FUNCTIONING Controlling gender, age and SES Mediation Process Analysis (Hayes, 2013) Direct effect: 4.43** Family functioning, hopelessness and depressive symptoms DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HOPELESSNESS FAMILY FUNCTIONING Controlling gender, age and SES Mediation Process Analysis (Hayes, 2013) Direct effect: 4.43* Indirect effect through hopelessness: 1.34* Family functioning, hopelessness and depressive symptoms HOPELESSNESS SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Controlling gender, age and FAD Mediation Process Analysis (Hayes, 2013) DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS SES, hopelessness and depressive symptoms HOPELESSNESS SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Controlling gender, age and FAD Mediation Process Analysis (Hayes, 2013) Direct effect: n.s. DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS SES, hopelessness and depressive symptoms HOPELESSNESS SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Controlling gender, age and FAD Mediation Process Analysis (Hayes, 2013) Direct effect: n.s. Indirect effect through hopelessness: -.54* DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS SES, hopelessness and depressive symptoms Mediational role of hopelessness Dual mediational role of family functioning and hopelessness in the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HOPELESSNESS SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Controlling gender and age FAMILY FUNCTIONING Mediational role of hopelessness Dual mediational role of family functioning and hopelessness in the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HOPELESSNESS SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Controlling gender and age FAMILY FUNCTIONING Direct effect: n.s. Mediational role of hopelessness Dual mediational role of family functioning and hopelessness in the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HOPELESSNESS SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Controlling gender and age FAMILY FUNCTIONING Direct effect: n.s. Indirect effect through family functioning and hopelessnes: -.86*