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Inhibitory control as a mediator of bidirectional effects between early oppositional behavior and maternal depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2014

Daniel Ewon Choe ,
Daniel S. Shaw ,
Lauretta M. Brennan ,
Thomas J. Dishion  and
Melvin N. Wilson
Daniel Ewon Choe*
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Daniel S. Shaw
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Lauretta M. Brennan
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Thomas J. Dishion
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Melvin N. Wilson
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Daniel Ewon Choe, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 210 South Bouquet Street, 4423 Sennott Square, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; E-mail: dec60@pitt.edu.
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Abstract

Maternal depression is an established risk factor for child conduct problems, but relatively few studies have tested whether children's behavioral problems exacerbate mothers' depression or whether other child behavioral characteristics (e.g., self-regulation) may mediate bidirectional effects between maternal depression and child disruptive behavior. This longitudinal study examined the parallel growth of maternal depressive symptoms and child oppositional behavior from ages 2 to 5; the magnitude and timing of their bidirectional effects; and whether child inhibitory control, a temperament-based self-regulatory mechanism, mediated effects between maternal depression and child oppositionality. A randomized control trial of 731 at-risk families assessed children annually from ages 2 to 5. Transactional models demonstrated positive and bidirectional associations between mothers' depressive symptoms and children's oppositional behavior from ages 2 to 3, with a less consistent pattern of reciprocal relations up to age 5. Mediation of indirect mother–child effects and child evocative effects depended on the rater of children's inhibitory control. Findings are discussed in regard to how child evocative effects and self-regulatory mechanisms may clarify the transmission of psychopathology within families.

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Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 26 , Issue 4pt1 , November 2014 , pp. 1129 - 1147
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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