Abstract
Negative emotionality (NE) and positive emotionality (PE) have repeatedly shown to act as vulnerability factors for youth depression. Less research examined the mechanisms through which these reactive temperament traits may differently confer vulnerability to depression. Based on recent integrated models of depression proposing emotion regulation as a key underlying mechanism, the current study aimed to clarify the general and day-to-day relations among temperament, emotion regulation strategies, and depressive symptoms in Dutch-speaking youth (35% boys; Mage = 13.27 years, SD = 1.98) using a cross-sectional (n = 495) and a 7-day daily diary design (n = 469). Self-reported temperament, trait rumination, trait positive refocusing, and depressive symptoms were measured at baseline. State rumination, state positive refocusing, and depressive symptoms were further assessed daily. Whereas results revealed that NE and PE interacted in predicting baseline and daily depressive symptoms, the cross-sectional analyses provide preliminary evidence for the hypothesis that NE and PE each provide unique pathways for understanding vulnerability to depression. Additional analyses in the daily diary study showed NE to be significantly related to trajectories of state rumination. Results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the associations between temperament, emotion regulation strategies, and depressive symptoms in youth.
Highlights
Adolescence is a turbulent developmental period in which the rates for depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder (MDD) rise dramatically [1]
The present study examined emotion regulation–or the set of processes by which emotions themselves are regulated [7]–as one possible mechanism through which temperament contributes to the development of youth depressive symptoms [8, 9]
In following integrated models of depression positing that adolescent Emotion regulation (ER) may function as a mechanism through which reactive temperament traits increase vulnerability to developing depression [5, 6], the current study proposes ER strategies as a possible pathway linking reactive temperament traits to depressive symptoms
Summary
Adolescence is a turbulent developmental period in which the rates for depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder (MDD) rise dramatically [1]. Temperament, emotion regulation, and youth depression depression is still insufficient. Researchers have recently started to articulate integrated models of depression that take biological-affective (e.g., temperament) and cognitive-behavioral factors (e.g., emotion regulation) as well as developmental differences in depression into account (e.g., [5, 6]). Inspired by these models, the present study examined emotion regulation–or the set of processes by which emotions themselves are regulated [7]–as one possible mechanism through which temperament contributes to the development of youth depressive symptoms [8, 9]
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