| Depression is the leading cause of disability globally, affecting approximately 350 million individuals worldwide (WHO 2016). Previous research suggests that depression that onsets during childhood is characterized by especially deleterious social and academic sequelae, as well as greater risk of comorbidity with other psychiatric and medical disorders, chronicity, recurrence, and suicidality (Fleisher and Katz 2001; Luby 2009; Naicker et al. 2013; Zisook et al. 2007). A family history of depression is one of the most robust predictors of children’s risk for developing depression (Goodman 2007; Goodman et al. 2011; Sullivan et al. 2000). This said, the majority of these at-risk children do not develop depression themselves, highlighting the need for research seeking to identify specific factors that may heighten or reduce risk for depression in these children. Focusing on risk factors that could be modified though intervention is critical for improving targeted prevention efforts. One promising factor is child emotion regulation (ER), conceptualized as the ability to modulate emotional experience, which gradually develops in the first years of life, as children shift from relying exclusively on caregivers for affect regulation to self-regulating their emotions (Gross 1998; Kopp and Neufeld 2003). Maternal depression is frequently associated with a highly stressful family context, increasing child’s levels of interpersonal stress and exposure to stressful events, thereby dramatically increasing child’s risk for developing depression (Hammen and Brennan 2002; Hammen et al. 2004). These findings highlight the role of child ER, which promotes adaptation to the family/social environment, as a critical moderator of the relation between parent and child depression (Gross 1998; Kopp and Neufeld 2003; Thompson 2008) and suggest that the use of adaptive ER strategies could influence children’s risk for the intergenerational transmission of depression. Supporting this hypothesis, there is evidence that the use of coping strategies, such as positive thinking, acceptance, and distraction, is associated with fewer symptoms of depression among adolescents of currently depressed parents (Langrock et al. 2002). Importantly, previous research suggests that child ER, specifically the child’s ability to generate more positive affect during a laboratory paradigm designed to induce negative emotions, could reduce risk for internalizing problems among children with a parent history of depression (Silk et al. 2006). Moreover, parent history of depression has been linked to decreased use of active behavioral ER strategies (actively trying to change a distressing situation) and decreased positive mood in preschoolers, while the use of passive behavioral ER strategies (sitting quietly without engaging in any activity) has been associated with behavioral inhibition among children of parents with a history of depression (Feng et al. 2007). These findings underscore the potential role of child ER in intergenerational transmission of depression and offer a modifiable target for early interventions. |
