Authors: Jennifer Jackson Peter Kuppens Lisa B Sheeber Nicholas B Allen
Publish Date: 2010/12/03
Volume: 39, Issue: 3, Pages: 463-474
Abstract
The expression of anger is considered to be abnormal in depression yet its role is only poorly understood In the present study we sought to clarify this role by examining the moderating influence of the family environment on overall levels of anger expression and anger reactivity in depressed and nondepressed adolescents during conflictual interactions with their parents One hundred and forty one depressed and nondepressed adolescent participants engaged in a problemsolving task with their parents during which their behavioral expression of anger and heart rate were recorded The results demonstrate that general levels of parental anger in the family environment as indicated by the overall level of expressed anger by the parents during the interactions strongly moderates how depressed differ from nondepressed adolescents in terms of their anger heart rate and reactivity Overall the findings suggest that in depressed adolescents anger is much less adaptively attuned to the environment consistent with models that predict dysfunction in the regulation of anger that prevents depressed individuals responding adaptively to their social environment
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