Interaction between childhood parental bonding and affective temperaments on adulthood depressive symptoms

Abstract

• Interaction between parental bonding and affective temperaments was studied. • Hyperthymic temperament decreases depressogenic effect of paternal overprotection. • Maternal care reduces depressogenic effect of temperament excluding hyperthymic one. • Evaluating such interactions may be useful in dealing with depressive symptoms. Childhood parental bonding and affective temperaments influence adulthood mood symptoms, and childhood maltreatment has an effect on the affective temperaments present in adulthood depressive symptoms. However, whether childhood parental bonding interacts with affective temperaments related to adulthood depressive symptoms has not been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to study the interaction between childhood parental bonding and these effects in community adults. The 548 adult community volunteers were assessed using the Parental Bonding Instrument, Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Auto-questionnaire version, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The interactions were evaluated using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. High paternal care significantly and positively interacted with anxious temperament in depressive symptoms, whereas high paternal overprotection significantly and negatively interacted with hyperthymic temperament in depressive symptoms. High maternal care significantly and negatively interacted with cyclothymic, depressive, irritable, and anxious temperaments in depressive symptoms. High maternal overprotection had no significant interaction with any affective temperament in depressive symptoms. All participants were community volunteers, which prevents generalization to other community individuals. The cross-sectional design prevents explanation of the causal links in the study parameters. This study suggests that childhood parental bonding interacts with affective temperaments in adulthood depressive symptoms. High maternal care decreases the depressogenic effects of cyclothymic, depressive, irritable, and anxious temperaments, although maternal care may not interact with hyperthymic temperament. The moderator effects of maternal care may be involved in the differences between the effects of hyperthymic temperament and other temperaments on adulthood depressive symptoms.