Investigation of the bidirectional relations between adolescents' anger at their parents and symptoms of depression

• Published date: 01 April 2022
• Author: Gilbert R. Parra,John P. Smith,W. Alex Mason
• Date: 01 April 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12617

EMERGING TOPIC

Investigation of the bidirectional relations between

adolescents’anger at their parents and symptoms of

depression

Gilbert R. Parra

1

|John P. Smith

1

|W. Alex Mason

2

1

Child, Youth and Family Studies, University

of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

2

Department of Preventive Medicine, The

University of Tennessee Health Science Center,

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Correspondence

Gilbert R. Parra, Child, Youth and Family

Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln,

257 Louise Pound Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska

68588, USA,

Email: gparra2@unl.edu

Funding information

National Institute on Drug Abuse, Grant/

Award Number: 1R01DA025651; Nebraska

Agricultural Experiment Station with funding

from the Hatch capacity funding program

(Accession Number 1011764) from the USDA

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the associations between

adolescents’anger at their parents and depression over a

1-year period.

Background: Anger tends to co-occur with depression dur-

ing adolescence. Most research on anger has investigated

anger in general and has not focused on specific sources of

anger. Anger at parents is likely an important source of

adolescents’anger.

Method: Participants were 321 adolescents (M

age

at

enrollment =13.41 years[SD =0.52]; 46.7% male) and

one of their parents. Families completed questionnaires at

two time points separated by 1 year.

Results: High levels of adolescents’anger at their parents

were relatedtoincreasedlevels ofdepression1 year later

(based only on parent-reported anger at parents). Simi-

larly, high levels of depression were associated with

increased levels of adolescents’anger at their parents

1year later (based on adolescent- and parent-reported

anger at parents).

Conclusions: The findings suggest that adolescents’anger

at their parents and depression are mutually reinforcing

during middle adolescence.

Implications: The results highlight the importance of

assessing anger at parents when working with adolescents

who are experiencing depressive symptoms. Further, ado-

lescents’feelings of anger at their parents when evident

should be incorporated into case conceptualizations and

treatment plans.

KEYWORDS

adolescents, anger, depression, longitudinal, parents

Received: 28 August 2020Revised: 22 July 2021Accepted: 9 September 2021

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12617

© 2021 National Council on Family Relations.

602 Family Relations. 2022;71:602–610.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare