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. 2012 Apr;41(4):449-59.
doi: 10.1007/s10964-011-9661-7. Epub 2011 Apr 17.

Being mum's confidant, a boon or bane? Examining gender differences in the association of maternal disclosure with adolescents' depressive feelings

Anna Lichtwarck-Aschoff  1 , Catrin Finkenauer, Haske van de Vorst, Rutger C M E Engels
Affiliations

Being mum's confidant, a boon or bane? Examining gender differences in the association of maternal disclosure with adolescents' depressive feelings

Anna Lichtwarck-Aschoff et al. J Youth Adolesc. 2012 Apr.

Abstract

This article reports on a longitudinal study investigating gender differences in the association between maternal disclosure and adolescents' depressive symptoms. Little research has examined the relationship of parental disclosure to adolescents' depressive symptoms and research on sex differences is particularly lacking. In a sample of 428 families with a mean age of 13.36 (52% female) of the target adolescents, maternal and children's disclosure and depressive symptoms were assessed twice with an interval of 4 years. Controlling for the quality of the parent-child relationship and levels of maternal depressive symptoms, the analyses revealed an interaction effect for child's gender, moderating the effect of maternal disclosure on adolescents' depressive symptoms. Higher levels of maternal disclosure were accompanied by lower levels of depressive symptoms in girls and higher levels of depressive symptoms in boys. Gender differences in socialization, communication, individuation and social networks might explain why daughters and sons are differently affected by maternal disclosure.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Plotted interaction between maternal disclosure at T1 and child’s depressive feelings at T1: cross-sectional analysis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Plotted interaction between maternal disclosure at T1 and child’s depressive feelings 4 years later: longitudinal analysis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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