Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: The Interplay of Maternal Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Youth ADHD Symptomatology

Abstract

Objective: ADHD and depression co-occur at higher than chance levels in adolescence, but moderators of this association are not well understood. Consistent with a developmental–transactional framework, one such moderator may be maternal emotion regulation (ER) difficulties. Using latent growth curve modeling, the current study examined the independent and interactive effects of adolescent ADHD symptoms and maternal ER difficulties on the trajectory of depressive symptoms across adolescence. Method: This study included a community sample of 247 adolescents (Mage = 13.06 years) assessed annually over a 6-year period. Results: Findings suggested that youth with greater ADHD symptoms whose mothers evidenced more ER difficulties demonstrated steeper increases in depressive symptoms over time relative to their peers with lower ADHD symptoms or whose mothers reported fewer ER difficulties. Conclusion: This work highlights the importance of maternal ER difficulties in predicting the trajectory of depressive symptoms among adolescents with ADHD symptomatology.