The role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between family conflict and depression among early adolescents

doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.12.001

Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science

Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 30-36

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.12.001 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Coercive family interactions increase experiential avoidance among adolescents.
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Coercive family interactions are associated with higher levels of depression.
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Increases in experiential avoidance are associated with increases in depression.

Abstract

Experiential avoidance (EA) consists of efforts to control or avoid unwanted emotions, upsetting memories, troubling thoughts, or physical pain and the contexts that occasion them, even when doing so creates problems over the long run. While substantial evidence finds EA to be a risk factor for diverse psychological problems, most of that evidence comes from research with adults. This paper presents longitudinal findings from a study of adolescents that examined the relationships between EA, family conflict and depression. We obtained data from students in grades 6, 7, and 8 (81.8% white, with Hispanic students the largest group of minority participants—8.8%). The analysis included latent growth models of family conflict, adolescent EA, and adolescent depression: all showed acceptable fit; mean intercepts and slopes (with their respective variances) were significant. The results suggest that EA is associated with depression and is more likely in families with high conflict. Female adolescents had higher EA and were differentially affected by family conflict.

Introduction

This paper discusses the relationship of experiential avoidance (EA) to family conflict and depression. Experiential avoidance consists of efforts to control or avoid unpleasant emotions, upsetting memories, troubling thoughts, or physical pain (Hayes, Wilson, Gifford, & Follette, 1996). Considerable evidence indicates that EA is a risk factor for diverse psychological problems and that interventions reducing people׳s avoidance can benefit in ameliorating such problems. The bulk of this evidence comes from research with adults. While substantial work has linked EA to psychological problems, there has been less attention to the environmental factors associated with EA. In the present paper, we examine whether family conflict is associated with EA and whether such a relationship is related to the development of depression. We also examine whether these processes and their inter-relations differ according to gender.

Section snippets

The role of family conflict in the development of depression

Exposure to family conflict can contribute to depression among adolescents (Lewinsohn et al., 2000, Mason et al., 2009, Reinherz et al., 2003, Rueter et al., 1999, Sheeber et al., 1997, Van Voorhees et al., 2008), particularly when youth are exposed to family conflict in early adolescence (Matjasko, Grunden, & Ernst, 2007). Some researchers have found that the relationship between adolescent depression onset and family conflict is particularly strong for females (Lewinsohn et al., 2000) while

Experiential avoidance

When people experience high levels of unwanted thoughts and emotions, they commonly engage in purposeful attempts to change the form or frequency of these undesired private experiences and the contexts in which they occur (Hayes et al., 2005, Hayes et al., 2012). These efforts may persist even when their consequences are quite negative. This process of avoidance even in the face of deleterious consequences has been referred to as experiential avoidance (EA). Among adults, EA is associated with

Gender differences in development

As noted above, there are gender differences in EA during adolescence. Also, the rates of depression are higher among girls than boys (Lewinsohn et al., 1993, Saluja et al., 2004). We are not aware of studies showing differences in family conflict due to children׳s gender. It seems appropriate, therefore to examine gender differences in the development of each of these processes. We began our analyses by characterizing the initial level and growth in family conflict, EA, and depression

Participants

The sample for this study comes from data collected during a 3-year randomized controlled trial, the Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Support (SWPBIS) project. The study involved 36 middle schools (N=12,977), 18 of which received in-depth training and follow-up coaching in SWPBIS implementation, and 18 of which received a one-day workshop about SWPBIS (Control). Schools were randomized to condition and students nested within cohorts. We restricted the sample for the current study to the cohort of

Analytic approach

For each of the three constructs under study (family conflict, adolescent EA, and adolescent depression), latent growth models (LGM; Duncan, Duncan, Strycker, Li, & Alpert, 1999) were used to estimate an intercept factor representing initial level and a slope factor, which represented the developmental trajectory. The loadings of the growth factors were fixed to 0 at the first assessment, thus setting the intercept at grade 6. Loadings were fixed to 1 at grade 7 and 2 at grade 8, thereby

Descriptive statistics

Table 1 presents the correlation coefficients, means, and standard deviations for all study variables. Correlation coefficients supported the hypothesized relationships between variables.

Multiple group latent growth models

Table 2 shows the results of the latent growth models. Presented first are estimated parameters and fit statistics for linear growth models specified for the total sample. The youth depression, youth EA, and family conflict models all showed acceptable fit. Mean intercepts and slopes along with their respective variances were all significant. Developmentally, these models show increases in all three constructs during the middle school years.

Invariance by gender was tested for each parameter

Relationships among growth parameters

The multiple group parallel process model¹ specified with all latent intercepts and slopes allowed to covary fit well according to the

Discussion

The results of this study fit with previous findings suggesting that family conflict is a risk factor for adolescent depression, experiential avoidance is a process associated with depression, and that levels of experiential avoidance are higher in the context of family conflict. Girls appear to be affected more by family conflict than are boys. The study also adds to the accumulating evidence that experiential avoidance is higher among female adolescents than male adolescents. In this study,

Acknowledgments

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD60922) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA-019037) provided financial support for the authors during their work on this manuscript and for the work described in this paper. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD, NIDA, or the National Institutes of Health.

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The role of experiential avoidance in the relationship between family conflict and depression among early adolescents

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

The role of family conflict in the development of depression

Experiential avoidance

Gender differences in development

Participants

Analytic approach

Descriptive statistics

Multiple group latent growth models

Relationships among growth parameters

Discussion

Acknowledgments

Addictive Behaviors

Journal of Adolescence

Addictive Behaviors

Behavior Therapy

Behavior Therapy

Behavior Therapy

Behavior Therapy

Behaviour Research and Therapy

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

Behavior Therapy

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

Behavior Therapy

Behavior Therapy

Journal of Adolescent Health

Comparative fit indexes in structural equation models

Psychological Bulletin

Helping adolescents at risk: prevention of multiple problem behaviors

Nurturing environments and the next generation of prevention research and practice

American Psychologist

Acceptance and commitment: Implications for prevention science

Prevention Science

Experiential avoidance and post-traumatic stress disorder: A cognitive mediational model of rape recovery

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma

Reciprocal prospective associations between depressive symptoms and perceived relationship with parents in early adolescence

Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Structural equation modeling with AMOS, EQS, and LISREL: Comparative approaches to testing for the factorial validity of a measuring instrument

International Journal of Testing

Experiential avoidance as a functional dimensional approach to psychopathology: An empirical review

Journal of Clinical Psychology

Rumination and experiential avoidance in depression

Behaviour Change

Acceptance and commitment therapy for generalized social anxiety disorder a pilot study

Behavior Modification

An introduction to latent variable growth curve modeling: concepts, issues, and applications

Putting theory to the test: Examining family context, caregiver motivation, and conflict in the family check-up model

Development and Psychopathology

Psychological inflexibility in childhood and adolescence: Development and evaluation of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for youth

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What is acceptance and commitment therapy?