Understanding depressed mood in the context of a family-oriented culture.

Full Abstract

This study examined the contribution of individual and family variables to depressive symptoms among youths in a family-centered culture. Participants were 262 Mexican adolescents (mean age = 15.9 years). At the individual level, gender (being female) and higher levels of perceived stressfulness of life events and ruminative coping style were correlated with higher frequency of depressive symptoms. At the family level, higher levels of perceived parental warmth and acceptance and parental monitoring were correlated with lower levels of depressed mood, whereas higher levels of parent-adolescent conflict were associated with greater frequency of depressive symptoms. Regression analyses confirmed our prediction that both individual factors (gender, ruminative coping) and family factors (parental warmth and parental monitoring) would make unique contributions to depressive symptoms. The model comprised of individual and family variables accounted for 50% of the variance in depressed mood. Moreover, parental warmth and acceptance attenuated the impact of ruminative coping style on adolescents' depressive symptomatology. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research on adolescents in another family-centered culture (China), and directions for future research are proposed.

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Author information

Author/s: Gil-Rivas, Virginia (V); Greenberger, Ellen (E); Chen, Chuansheng (C); Montero y López-Lena, Maria (M);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Adolescence (Adolescence), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-; vol 38 (issue 149) : pp 93-109

Dates: Created 2003/06/13; Completed 2003/10/21; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 12803456, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Cognition
Culture
Depression - ethnology; psychology
Family
Female

Female
Humans
Male
Mexico - ethnology
Parent-Child Relations
Sex Factors
United States

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