No adolescent is an island: conceptualizing the family system in adolescent depression with the network approach

Abstract

Adolescents are not islands, but embedded in systems, such as the family system, in which family members are connected. This means that the sadness and isolating behavior of an adolescent with depression impact parents and their parenting behavior, while the parenting behavior impacts the adolescent. In this dissertation, three types of networks were applied to evaluate whether the network approach could provide more insight into the family system in adolescent depression. The first network demonstrated the relation between adolescent and parent affect over time. For example, the network showed that the reported irritation of fathers and adolescents was positively related to the reported irritation of mothers. The second network illustrated the relation between adolescent affect, parenting behavior (e.g., parental criticism and warmth), parental worry, and parental self-efficacy. For instance, the network indicated that parents reported more parental criticism when they reported being worried about their child. The third network focused on the experience of parents of adolescents with depression. This network illustrated the difference in reasons for parental worry and self-efficacy between parents within a family. Together, the three types of networks provided insight into the bidirectional relation between adolescents and parents within the family system in the context of adolescent depression, and highlight the importance of considering different perspectives within and between families over time.