Mother Overprotection Research Articles

How parenting styles affect primary school students' subjective well-being? The mediating role of self-concept and emotional intelligence.

To explore the relationship between parenting styles and self-concept, emotional intelligence, and subjective well-being among primary school students. In total, 1,683 students from 10 primary schools in Hangzhou, China, were surveyed using a simple random sampling method. Participants completed the Parenting Style Scale, the Self-Concept Scale, the Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Subjective Well-Being Scale. (1) Father's and mother's emotional warmth was significantly positively correlated with students' subjective well-being (r = 0.513, p < 0.01 and r = 0.478, p < 0.01, respectively). Father's and mother's rejection was significantly negatively correlated with students' subjective well-being (r = -0.257, p < 0.01 and r = -0.285, p < 0.01, respectively). Father's overprotection was significantly negatively correlated with students' subjective well-being (r = -0.178, p < 0.01; r = -0.227, p < 0.01). (2) Self-concept and emotional intelligence acted as chain mediators between father's and mother's emotional warmth and students' subjective well-being (0.337, 0.477 and 0.366, 0.520, respectively). Self-concept and emotional intelligence acted as chain mediators between father's and mother's rejection and students' subjective well-being (-0.590, -0.377 and -0.693, -0.460, respectively). Self-concept chain-mediated between father's and mother's overprotection and students' subjective well-being (-0.380, -0.224 and -0.413, -0.264 respectively). Parenting styles can affect primary school student's subjective well-being both directly and through mediating effects. Self-concept and emotional intelligence partially mediate the impact of emotional warmth and rejection parenting styles, and fully mediate the impact of father's overprotective parenting on subjective well-being.

The role of only-child status in the effect of childhood trauma and parental rearing style on depressive symptoms in Shanghai adolescents.

After decades of the one-child policy, China changed its rules to allow two children in 2016, which altered family dynamics. Few studies have examined the emotional problems and the family environment of multi-child adolescents. This study aims to explore the role of only-child status in the impact of childhood trauma and parental rearing style on depressive symptoms of adolescents in Shanghai, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 4,576 adolescents (M = 13.42 years, SD = 1.21) from seven middle schools in Shanghai, China. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, the Short Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran, and Children's Depression Inventory were used to evaluate childhood trauma, perceived parental rearing style, and depressive symptoms of adolescents, respectively. Results showed that girls and non-only children reported more depressive symptoms, while boys and non-only children perceived more childhood trauma and negative rearing styles. Emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and father's emotional warmth significantly predicted depressive symptoms in both only children and non-only children. Father's rejection and mother's overprotection were related to adolescents' depressive symptoms in only-child families, but not non-only child families. Therefore, depressive symptoms, childhood trauma, and perceived negative rearing styles were more prevalent among adolescents in non-only child families, while negative rearing styles were especially associated with depressive symptoms in only children. These findings suggest that parents pay attention to their impacts on only children and give more emotional care to non-only children.

MOTHERS’ OVERPROTECTION AND EATING PROBLEMS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS: A MEDIATING ROLE OF EMOTION DYSREGULATION

Objectives: To find out the disordered eating behavior and its relationship with mother overprotectiveness and emotion dysregulation and to find out the mediating role of emotional dyregulation between mother’s overprotec­tion and eating problems. Methodology: Correlational research design was used in this research. Through multistage sampling, data was collected from 300 college students (Men=166, Women=134). Three measures were used in this study which were EMBU-A, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and Emotion Regulation Scale. Pearson product mo­ment correlation was conducted to determine relationship among disordered eating behavior, mother’s overprotec­tiveness and emotional dysregulation. Mediation analysis was carried out by Hayes model bootstrapping approach. Results: Correlation analysis revealed that mother’s overprotection and emotion dysregulation were significantly positively correlated with eating problems (r = .13, p &lt; .05) and eating problems (r = .24, p &lt; .001). Moreover, emotion dysregulation significantly mediated the relationship of mother overprotection and eating problems = .21, SE = .05,. Conclusion: Emotions can shift the focus of eating behaviors while considering the role of gender and maternal bonding during the adolescence period. A healthier relationship demands positive maternal practices that helps in decreasing the prevalence of disturbed eating behaviors. Based on the results awareness needs to be created among mental health professional to arrange seminars and trainings for students and parents from both gender regarding the consequences of disordered eating behavior in their children.

Relationship between Depressive Mood and Parenting Style of Junior High School Students and Educational Countermeasures

Objective: To study the relationship between depressive mood and parenting style of junior high school students. Methods: A total of 1966 junior high school students in Henan Province were selected by cluster sampling method from May 2022 to November 2022. The survey tools included the General Social Data Questionnaire, the Parenting Style Questionnaire (PBI) and the Childhood Depression Disorder Self-Rating Scale (DSRSC). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between adolescent depression and parenting styles. Results: There were 1966 valid questionnaires, of which 1054 were female (53.6%) and 912 were male (46.4%). The age was 13.98±0.56 years. Among 1966 junior high school students, 465 junior high school students had depression. Depression of junior middle school students is negatively correlated with mother's care and father's care, positively correlated with mother's indifference and father's indifference, and positively correlated with mother's overprotection and father's overprotection. Conclusion: Parental care can reduce the risk of depression in junior middle school students, while parental apathy and overprotection can increase the risk of depression in junior middle school students. The depression detection rate of junior high school students is significantly different, highlighting different characteristics in gender, age, parenting style, etc. Educators should develop targeted education and intervention strategies according to the characteristics of junior high school students.

Attachment style of patients diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures at a tertiary Epilepsy Center in the Czech Republic.

Quality and type of early relationships with primary caregivers is considered one of the key factors in the etiopathogenesis of many mental disorders including depression, anxiety, and conversion disorders. This study focused on the type and quality of attachment style in adult patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). We evaluated the demographic data and profiles of PNES patients (n = 262) and group of healthy volunteers (n = 51) measured by the Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI) and Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) and Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structure (ECR-RS). Significant differences in measured values between the two groups were identified; specifically, differences in the caregiver style-father and mother overprotection (PBI) was higher in the PNES group. The most frequent type of attachment in PNES was type 2 (preoccupied). Correlations between the PBI and ECR results were also found. This study highlighted certain attachment styles in patients with PNES and statistically significant differences between patients with PNES and a healthy sample. Some correlations between the results of the questionnaires with socio-demographic factors were found. The identification of specific patterns in attachment may be useful for further use in reaching a differential diagnosis and administering tailored psychotherapy of patients with PNES.

Relationship between Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder and Remembered Parenting Style - A Pilot Study from Private Tertiary Care Center

Introduction: Emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) is a type of personality disorder which is characterized by symptoms, such as highly volatile mood, high impulsivity, unstable relationships, and self-harming behavior. Studies indicate that an individual's personality is an outcome of various factors, their parental upbringing being one of the major factors. Materials and Methods: The study aimed at exploring remembered parental style in patients diagnosed with EUPD. Ten patients were recruited from a tertiary care psychiatric hospital, and parental bonding instrument and clinical global impressions scale were administered. Results: The mean age of the patients with EUPD was 28.8 ± 7.77 years, and the mean years of education was found to be 15.4 ± 1.66. Mean age of onset of illness was 23.71 years, and the mean severity score was found to be 4.8. The mean mother's care score was found to be 25.6 ± 7.17 and mother's overprotection score was found to be 11.2 ± 5.53. The mean father's care score was found to be 20 ± 11.28 and father's overprotection score was 12.1 ± 6.38. Conclusions: The study findings reveal involvement of authoritarian parenting style in fathers and neglectful parenting style in mothers in the development of EUPD. However, a more comprehensive study with larger sample size is needed to throw more light over this finding.

Perceived Parental Styles and Alexithymia in Adult Iranian Migraine Patients: The Mediating Role of Emotional Schemas

Migraine, which is a highly prevalent headache, is often comorbid with alexithymia. Parental styles contribute to the development of alexithymia. The core psychological mechanisms that connect parenting to alexithymia and can be targeted in psychotherapy are not yet studied. The objective of this study was to explore the role of emotional schemas as a possible mediator between perceived parental styles and alexithymia in migraine patients. Study participants consisted of 208 (67 males and 141 females) Iranians who completed the Farsi version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS-20), Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS II), and Measure of Parental Styles (MOPS) online. For mediation analysis, structural equation modeling was used based on Baron and Kenny’s mediation model. The results demonstrated that mother overprotection and mother indifference were significantly related to alexithymia in migraine patients. Emotional schemas and alexithymia were also positively and significantly related. Additionally, mother overprotection and father indifference showed positive and significant covariation with emotional schemas. Data analysis with structural equation modeling revealed that emotional schemas partially mediate the relationship between parental styles and alexithymia in migraine patients. The current study expands our knowledge of possible mechanisms that relate childhood experiences of being parented and alexithymia in migraine patients. Findings of this research imply psychological treatments can benefit from targeting emotional schemas in migraine patients with alexithymia.

Parenting Styles as a Moderator of the Association between Pubertal Timing and Chinese Adolescents' Drinking Behavior.

Background: Previous work has indicated that pubertal timing and parenting styles are associated with adolescents’ drinking behavior, but studies on the relationship between the above three variables are lacking. Methods: Participants were 1408 Chinese adolescents aged 11–16 years old (46.52% girls). The data emphasized pubertal timing, parenting styles, drinking behavior, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the adolescent and his or her family. Results: Early pubertal timing was related to drinking behavior; however, parenting styles played a moderating role. For male adolescents, father emotional warmth, mother rejection, and mother emotional warmth moderated the relationship between early pubertal timing and drinking behavior. For female adolescents, mother rejection, mother emotional warmth, and mother over-protection moderated the relationship between pubertal timing and drinking behavior. Conclusions: Parenting styles that include emotional warmth, rejection, and over-protection appear to influence the negative outcomes associated with early pubertal timing, and may be useful in reducing adolescents’ drinking behavior.

Learning Engagement and Its Influencing Factors Among High School Students in Economically Developed Areas in China

Objective: To explore the characteristics and its relevant factors of learning engagement among high school students in economically developed areas in China. Methods: 808 high school students in Guangdong Province were selected by stratified cluster sampling. They were investigated with Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student-Chinese Version (UWES-S-CV), Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES), Interpersonal Comprehensive Diagnostic Scale (ICDS), Short-Form Egna Minnen AV Barndoms Uppprostran (s-EMBU), Emotional Support Questionnaire for Middle School Students to Understand Teachers (ESQUT) and a self-compiled general personal information questionnaire. Results: ⑴ The total score of UWES-S-CV, ASES, ICDS and the scores of three dimensions in UWES-S-CV, two subscales of ASES and four dimensions of ICDS, as well as the mother overprotection of s-EMBU were at the medium level. The total score of ESQUT and its four dimensions were at the medium high level. The scores of father’s and mother’s warmth of s-EMBU were at the high level, while the score of father’ negation, mother's negation and father's overprotection were at the low level. ⑵ Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis showed that 12 factors such as student origin, school category, class category, learning interest, the teaching method used most commonly, mother's education level, learning behavior self-efficacy, learning ability self-efficacy, father's warmth, mother's warmth, care and encouragement were positively correlated with the total score of UWES-S-CV (β=.120~.433, all P&lt;.01), while grade, family economic status, self-rated learning burden, communication and making friends, father’s negation and mother’s negation were negatively correlated with the total score of UWES-S-CV (β=-. 073~ -. 407, all P &lt;. 05). Conclusion The learning engagement among high school students needs to be improved. Social environment, family rearing style, school education and teaching style, as well as individual factors may be the main influencing factors of high school students' learning engagement.

Winning at all costs: The etiology of hypercompetitiveness through the indirect influences of parental bonds on anger and verbal/physical aggression

Hypercompetitiveness reflects the need to compete and win at all costs as a means of maintaining or enhancing one's own self-worth (Horney, 1937; Ryckman, Hammer, Kaczor, & Gold, 1990). This need to win at any cost is linked to expressions of verbal and physical aggression, which may take a toll on important relationships (Hibbard & Buhrmester, 2010). We sought to explore whether parental bonds with mothers and fathers (i.e., care, rejection, autonomy, and overprotection) were indirectly linked to aggression via the mediating mechanisms of hypercompetitiveness and feelings of anger. A sample of 581 university students (316 females; 265 males) were used to examine a multiple-group structural equation model. Tests of structural invariance revealed clear moderation by gender. For instance, the pathway from verbal to physical aggression was stronger for males compared to females. For females only, higher levels of father care were indirectly linked to fewer acts of physical aggression. For both genders, higher levels of mother overprotection were indirectly linked to more acts of physical aggression through increased hypercompetitiveness and, in turn, more feelings of anger. Findings regarding maternal overprotection are consistent with both Evolutionary and Social Learning theories of behavior.

Representações das figuras parentais e dor psicológica: Um estudo exploratório

O objectivo deste estudo de cariz exploratório é testar, em adultos da comunidade, a relação entre representações das figuras parentais e dor psicológica. A amostra final é constituída por 164 participantes, com idades entre os 18 e os 65 anos, que responderam à Psychache Scale e ao Inventário para Aceder às Memórias de Infância Relativas às Práticas Parentais (EMBU) e, realizaram uma descrição livre de cada uma das figuras parentais. Estas descrições foram codificadas recorrendo à Escala de Diferenciação e Relacionamento (Escala DR). Os resultados mostraram que à excepção do nível DR para a descrição da figura materna, as restantes cinco variáveis, nível DR para a descrição da figura paterna, rejeição paterna, rejeição materna, sobreprotecção paterna e sobreprotecção materna, se correlacionam significativamente com a variável dor psicológica. Uma análise de regressão múltipla do tipo forward mostrou que as variáveis, nível DR para a descrição da figura paterna, rejeição paterna e sobreprotecção materna deram um contributo significativo para a previsão da dor psicológica, embora explicando uma percentagem baixa de variância da dor psicológica. Este modelo foi corroborado através de Modelação de Equações Estruturais. Os resultados são discutidos no âmbito da teoria psicanalítica e da perspectiva da aceitação-rejeição de Rohner.

The mediating effect of perfectionism between rumination and parenting style among undergraduates

Objective To explore the mediating effect of perfectionism between rumination and parenting style among undergraduates. Methods The investigation was carried out among 915 college students by random sampling method, using ruminative responses scale(RRS), short-form egma minnenav bardndosna uppforstran(S-EMBU) and college student general perfectionism scale. Results The scores of perfectionism, rumination and their division dimensions in undergraduates were (26.35±4.13), (17.14±4.86), (22.27±4.64), (11.10±2.71), (10.38±2.71)and(43.75±8.37), respectively. Rumination of undergraduates was positively correlated with father rejection, mother rejection(r=0.23, 0.29, P<0.01), father overprotection, mother overprotection(r=0.16, 0.20, P<0.01) and minding mistakes(r=0.36, P<0.01), while negatively correlated with father emotional warmth and mother emotional warmth(r=-0.07, -0.09, P<0.05). Minding mistakes had significantly positive correlations with father rejection, mother rejection(r=0.12, 0.19, P<0.01) and father overprotection, mother overprotection (r=0.16, 0.12, P<0.01). Minding mistakes had significantly negative correlations with father emotional warmth and mother emotional warmth(r=-0.18, -0.20, P<0.01). The structural equation model proved that minding mistakes mediated the relationship between mother and father rejection and rumination through mediating effect test (χ2/df=8.45, RMSEA=0.091, CFI=0.96, GFI=0.97). The mediating effect value was 0.112(95%CI=0.048~0.194), and mediating effect accounted for 28.95% . Conclusion The mediating effect of minding mistakes is remarkable in father and mother rejection and rumination, and reducing father rejection, mother rejection and perfectionism can reduce rumination among undergraduates. Key words: Rumination; Perfectionism; Suicidal risk; Parenting style; Undergraduates

Factores sociodemográficos asociados a los lazos parentales en estudiantes de Lima Norte

Objetivo: determinar la relación entre los lazos parentales y las variables sociodemográficas en los estudiantes de un centro pre-universitario. Materiales y métodos: estudio de alcance correlacional y diseño no experimental de corte transversal. La muestra estuvo conformada por 187 estudiantes de un centro pre-universitario de Lima norte. Las variables principales fueron: lazos parentales y factores sociodemográficos. Se realizó el análisis de datos a través del software estadístico STATA 14. Resultados se encontró relación entre la dimensión de sobreprotección padre y cuidador primario (p=0.00), al igual que sobreprotección madre (p=0.008) y cuidador primario. Asimismo, la dimensión sobreprotección madre se relacionó con el lugar de nacimiento (p=0.001). Se obtuvieron valores altos en la dimensión de sobreprotección de la madre (93.0%) y el padre (82.3%). Conclusión: los padres biológicos son percibidos como más sobreprotectores que otros cuidadores primarios. Esta relación podría disminuir la autonomía, la capacidad de decisión y adaptación, efectos característicos de la sobreprotección. La relación entre la sobreprotección de la madre y el lugar de nacimiento puede estar relacionada a factores psicosociales y culturales que deben ser más estudiados en próximos estudios. Se sugiere promover la intervención psicológica sistemática para padres e hijos en el ámbito comunitario y educativo.

A comparison of anxiety, depression and attachment in tender age and adult pregnancy in Southeastern Anatolia Region.

Object: The aim of this study is to compare anxiety, depression and attachment in tender age and adult pregnants in a township of Southeastern Anatolia Region. Method: The study was conducted in a hospital in southeast of Turkey. 56 patients of obstetrics and gynecology clinic who did not have a psychiatric diagnosis and who were there for a routine assessment were involved in the study. Only the patients who could communicate Turkish at a sufficient level contributed to the study. Help was received from a hospital employee who was fluent in Kurdish and Arabic when necessary. Tender age and adult pregnant were evaluated by Hamilton Anxiety and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Adult Attachment Style Scale (AAS) and sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: Between two groups statistically no significant difference was found in mother care, mother overprotection and father care subscales of parental bonding instrument (PBI); however father overprotection subscales were found to be significantly higher in tender age pregnant women compared to adult pregnant women. Statistically no significant difference was found between two groups with regards to Hamilton Depression scale and Hamilton Anxiety scale total scores. Avoidant attachment style was found to be associated with depression in tender age pregnant women although such association was not found for the group of adult pregnant women. Conclusion: A secure attachment style during pregnancy will be passed on to the child by mother and the child as an individual under the influence of this bonding pattern will have its greater effects in its life and this primary attachment status will be transmitted to offspring. That is why it is important to break insecure attachments in risk groups and therefore developing new healthy attachment patterns should be aimed. The problems in the southeast of Turkey such as the language barrier and low literacy rate as well as the difficulty in applying the questionnaire make it difficult to conduct studies. Future research especially with women in this area is needed.

Perceived Parental Rearing Behaviours, Responsibility Attitudes and Life Events as Predictors of Obsessive Compulsive Symptomatology: Test of a Cognitive Model

It is important to investigate the role of cognitive, developmental and environmental factors in the development and maintenance of Obsessive Compulsive Symptomatology (OCS). The main objective of this study was to examine the vulnerability factors of OCS in a non-clinical sample. On the basis of Salkovskis' cognitive model of OCD, the study aimed to investigate the role of perceived parental rearing behaviours, responsibility attitudes, and life events in predicting OCS. Furthermore, the mediator role of responsibility attitudes in the relationship between perceived parental rearing behaviours and OCS was examined. Finally, the specificity of these variables to OCS was evaluated by examining the relationship of the same variables with depression and trait anxiety. A total of 300 university students (M = 19.55±1.79) were administered the Padua Inventory-Washington State University Revision, Responsibility Attitudes Scale, s-EMBU (My memories of upbringing), Life Events Inventory for University Students, Beck Depression Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait Form. Regression analysis revealed that perceived mother overprotection, responsibility attitudes and life events significantly predicted OCS. Furthermore, responsibility attitudes mediated the relationship between perceived mother overprotection and OCS. The predictive role of perceived mother overprotection and the mediator role responsibility attitudes were OCS specific. The findings of the present study supported that perceived mother over-protection as a developmental vulnerability factor significantly contributed to the explanation of a cognitive vulnerability factor (namely responsibility attitudes), and perceived maternal overprotection had its predictive role for OCS through responsibility attitudes.

2164 – The role of parental rearing styles in the perception of college adolescents’ anxiety symptoms

The literature highlights the importance of the impact of parental behavior on the development of anxiety in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to analyze the role that the adolescents’ perception about parental rearing styles have on the manifestation of anxiety symptoms. The sample involved 136 college adolescents, 48 boys and 88 girls aged between 12 and 15 years (M = 13,2 years). The research protocol included Sociodemographic Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) and the EMBU-A. Results suggest that older adolescents (14–15 years) showed greater anxiety symptoms, significant at the level of state anxiety. The young people with more academic failure externalize more trait anxiety and perceive higher levels of mother's overprotection and rejection of father and mother. Adolescents who have a father with lowest educational level perceive greater maternal rejection, and are the children of mothers with less qualification who feel greater mothers’ overprotection and father's rejection. There was a association between paternal rejection and higher levels of anxiety symptoms. The predictive model confirms that parental rejection, together with the age of the adolescent, are significant predictors of anxiety symptoms. Specifically, parental rejection is evidenced as the best predictor of anxiety symptoms, being primarily responsible for the manifestation of anxiety in adolescents. These results suggest that father's rejection generates high levels of anxiety symptoms. Thus, this study shows that rejection is the paternal parental rearing style that has more influence on the manifestation of anxiety in adolescents, triggering high levels of anxiety.

Role of Parental Overprotection and Stressful Life Events in Occurrence of Anxiety Disorders

The present study aimed to investigate the role of perceived parental overprotection during childhood and experiences of stressful life events, as possible risk factors for the development of anxiety disorder in adulthood. Retrospective Ex post Facto Design was used as research design. The sample consisted of 400 adults (age range = 18 - 53 years); divided into clinical group (n = 200) and control group (n = 200). Symptom Checklist-R Anxiety subscale (SCL-A), Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) were administered. Independent sample t-test and Regression analysis were applied to analyze the data. The results showed that clinical group perceived their fathers and mothers significantly more overprotective and less caring than control group. Clinical group scored significantly higher on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale as compared to control group. Regression analysis revealed that mother overprotection positively predicted and father care negatively predicted anxiety in clinical group.

Gender differences in the associations between childhood trauma and parental bonding in panic disorder

The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between childhood trauma and the quality of parental bonding in panic disorder compared to non-clinical controls. 123 patients and 123 paired controls were evaluated with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Parental Bonding Instrument. The Parental Bonding Instrument and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were highly correlated. Panic disorder patients presented higher rates of emotional abuse (OR = 2.54, p = 0.001), mother overprotection (OR = 1.98, p = 0.024) and father overprotection (OR = 1.84, p = 0.041) as compared to controls. Among men with panic disorder, only mother overprotection remained independently associated with panic disorder (OR = 3.28, p = 0.032). On the other hand, higher father overprotection (OR = 2.2, p = 0.017) and less father warmth (OR = 0.48, p = 0.039) were independently associated with panic disorder among female patients. Higher rates of different types of trauma, especially emotional abuse, are described in panic disorder patients as compared to controls. The differences regarding gender and parental bonding could be explained in the light of the psychodynamic theory.

Do Early Maladaptive Schemas Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Experiences and Avoidant Personality Disorder Features? A Preliminary Investigation in a Non-Clinical Sample

The current study tested the hypothesis that early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) mediate the relationship between retrospectively reported childhood experiences and avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) symptoms. One hundred and seventy-eight non-clinical participants completed questionnaires measuring retrospectively reported childhood experiences, a measure of EMSs, and AVPD symptoms. Path analyses showed that the EMSs of subjugation, abandonment, and emotional inhibition fully mediated the relationship between retrospectively reported childhood experiences (specifically mother overprotection & family sociability) and AVPD symptoms. The abandonment and subjugation EMSs were found to fully mediate the relationship between family sociability and AVPD symptoms while the subjugation and emotional inhibition EMSs fully mediated the relationship between mother (but not father) overprotection and AVPD symptoms. Finally, retrospective reports of childhood maltreatment were found to be associated with all EMSs within the disconnection/rejection domain apart from the abandonment EMS although these EMSs did not significantly account for AVPD symptoms. These results are consistent with cognitive-behavioural formulations of personality disorders and this study is the first to show that EMSs mediate the relationship between childhood factors and AVPD features.

Child abuse, other early experiences and depression: II. Single episode and recurrent/chronic subtypes of depression and their link to early experiences

The participants described in Part I of this series of two papers were investigated with respect to the adult onset of DSM-III-R Major Depression and its relationship with child abuse and other early experiences. Those participants with a lifetime experience of Major Depression were classified into (a) a single episode lasting no longer than two years (single episode, S.E.) and (b) either two or more episodes or any episode lasting for two years or more (recurrent or chronic, R.C). Discriminant function analysis revealed that the lack of mother's overprotection, mother's child abuse, father's overprotection, lack of mother's care, and the female sex mainly predicted the onset of Major Depression of any type whereas paternal overprotection, lack of mother's child abuse, and lack of maternal overprotection predicted R.C. than S.E. subtype.