Parent × child socialization: Implications for the development of depressive symptoms

A Parent × Child model of socialization was applied to the development of depressive symptoms. It was expected that when parents used intrusive support frequently, children engaging in negative self-evaluative processes would be more vulnerable to depressive symptoms than children engaging in positive self-evaluative processes. Children in the 5th through 7th grades took part in a 2-wave longitudinal study over 6 months. Parents' use of intrusive support was assessed using reports from children (N = 806) and mothers (N = 74). Children's self-evaluative processes and depressive symptoms were assessed using reports from children. The results suggest that both parents and children contribute to the development of depressive symptoms. When parental intrusive support was high, children engaging in negative self-evaluative processes experienced more depressive symptoms over time than did children engaging in positive self-evaluative processes.