NCJ Number
204249
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2004 Pages: 51-58
Date Published
February 2004
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined the mediating and moderating effects of youths' (11-14 years old) perceptions of control on the relationship between the youths' perceptions of parental child-rearing behavior and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Abstract
Participants were 83 boys and 84 girls who were recruited from a regular secondary school in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The modified version of the EMBU for children measured perceptions of parental child-rearing behaviors. Perceived control was assessed with the PCS, a 24-item questionnaire that measures beliefs about one's ability to exert control over outcomes in academic, social, and behavioral domains. The shortened version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale measured symptoms of the most prevalent DSM-defined anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder. Correlational analyses found that higher levels of negative parental child-rearing practices were associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression; these were simultaneously related to lower levels of perceived control. No evidence was found for the presence of mediating effects of perceived control on the link between perceived parental child-rearing behaviors and symptoms of anxiety and depression. There was a moderating effect of perceived control on the link between anxious child-rearing and anxiety symptoms. The presence of low perceived control and high anxious child-rearing produced relatively high anxiety levels. The combination of high perceived control and low anxious child-rearing clearly produced the lowest anxiety levels in the youth. 4 tables, 1 figure, and 25 references