Article Version of Record

Emotional availability and social skills: A link between mother-child depressive symptoms

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Curran, Timothy

Abstract / Description

This research examined the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms from mothers to their adult children through two succeeding mediators: a child’s perception of emotional availability from their mothers, and a child’s social skills. To do so, this study integrated principles from the integrative model of risk from depressed mother to offspring, attachment theory, and the social skills deficit theory of depression. Child reports of depressive symptoms, perceived emotional availability from mothers, and social skills were assessed as well as mother reports of depressive symptoms from 224 (N = 448) mother-child dyads. Results showed that maternal depressive symptoms were significantly related to child perceptions of emotional availability. Moreover, emotional availability was positively related to child social skills, which in turn was negatively related to child depressive symptoms. Additionally, the indirect effect from maternal depressive symptoms to child depressive symptoms through the mediators was significant. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Keyword(s)

depressive symptoms emotional availability social skills mother-child relationship

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2016-12-23

Journal title

Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships

Volume

10

Issue

2

Page numbers

149–160

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Curran, T. (2016). Emotional availability and social skills: A link between mother-child depressive symptoms. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 10(2), 149–160. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v10i2.211
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Curran, Timothy
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-12-05T08:44:16Z
  • Made available on
    2018-12-05T08:44:16Z
  • Date of first publication
    2016-12-23
  • Abstract / Description
    This research examined the intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms from mothers to their adult children through two succeeding mediators: a child’s perception of emotional availability from their mothers, and a child’s social skills. To do so, this study integrated principles from the integrative model of risk from depressed mother to offspring, attachment theory, and the social skills deficit theory of depression. Child reports of depressive symptoms, perceived emotional availability from mothers, and social skills were assessed as well as mother reports of depressive symptoms from 224 (N = 448) mother-child dyads. Results showed that maternal depressive symptoms were significantly related to child perceptions of emotional availability. Moreover, emotional availability was positively related to child social skills, which in turn was negatively related to child depressive symptoms. Additionally, the indirect effect from maternal depressive symptoms to child depressive symptoms through the mediators was significant. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Curran, T. (2016). Emotional availability and social skills: A link between mother-child depressive symptoms. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 10(2), 149–160. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v10i2.211
    en_US
  • ISSN
    1981-6472
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1746
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2112
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.v10i2.211
  • Keyword(s)
    depressive symptoms
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    emotional availability
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    social skills
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    mother-child relationship
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Emotional availability and social skills: A link between mother-child depressive symptoms
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    2
  • Journal title
    Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships
  • Page numbers
    149–160
  • Volume
    10
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record