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A transactional mediation model of risk for the intergenerational transmission of depression: The role of maternal criticism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2022

Elana S. Israel Open the ORCID record for Elana S. Israel [Opens in a new window]  and
Brandon E. Gibb Open the ORCID record for Brandon E. Gibb [Opens in a new window]
Elana S. Israel*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
Brandon E. Gibb
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
*
Corresponding author: Elana S. Israel, email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In this study, we sought to combine two lines of research to better understand risk for the intergenerational transmission of depression. The first focuses on the role of maternal criticism as a potential mechanism of risk for depression in youth while the second builds from interpersonal and stress generation models regarding the potential impact of youth depression on future escalations in maternal criticism. Specifically, we examined the role of maternal criticism within a transactional mediation model using data from a multi-wave study. Participants were 251 mother–offspring pairs consisting of mothers with (n = 129) and without (n = 122) a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) during their child’s lifetime who completed assessments every 6 months for 2 years. We found support for the hypothesized transactional mediational model in which maternal expressed emotion-criticism (EE-Crit) mediated the link between maternal history of MDD and residual change in youth’s depressive symptoms over the previous 6 months and, reciprocally, youth depressive symptoms mediated the relation between maternal MDD history and residual change in EE-Crit 6 months later. These results indicate that maternal criticism and offspring depressive symptoms may contribute to a vicious cycle of depression risk, which should be considered for interventions targeted toward youth at risk of developing MDD.

Keywords

depression riskexpressed emotionmaternal criticism
Type
Regular Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , February 2024 , pp. 92 - 100
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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