Parent-Adolescent Communication and Adolescent Depression
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PARENT-ADOLESCENT COMMUNICATION AND ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION AFTER A PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION PROGRAM A Dissertation Presented to The Graduate Faculty of The University of Akron In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Ryan M. Cook August, 2016 PARENT-ADOLESCENT COMMUNICATION AND ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION AFTER A PARTIAL HOSPITALIZATION PROGRAM Ryan M. Cook Dissertation Approved: Accepted: Advisor Department Chair Karin Jordan, Ph.D. Karin Jordan, Ph.D. Committee Member Dean of the College Rebecca Boyle, Ph.D. David Gordon, M.D. Committee Member Dean of the Graduate School Cynthia Reynolds, Ph.D. Chand Midha, Ph.D. Committee Member Date Ingrid Weigold, Ph.D. Committee Member Evonn N. Welton, Ph.D. ii ABSTRACT The purpose of this present study was to examine the relationship between parents’ and adolescent’s’ perceptions of family communication and adolescents’ reports of depression symptoms. Data for this study came from an existing data set. Participants included 167 adolescents and 118 mothers. The Family Communication Scale (mother and adolescent), and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale Major Depression Subscale (adolescent only) were completed pre and post treatment. A correlational research design was used for this study. The results of the study found no correlation between mothers’ and the adolescent’s perception of family communication and adolescent depression prior to treatment. After treatment a correlation between adolescent’s perception of family communication and adolescent’s report of depression was found. It was also found that adolescent’s perception of family communication accounted for more variance than the mothers’ perception of communication in relation to adolescent report of depression. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author is grateful to the many individuals who have supported, encouraged, and inspired the preparation and completion of this doctoral dissertation. I cannot forgo acknowledging the divine support I have had personally, professionally, and academically in the process of completing this doctoral dissertation. I must acknowledge the support from my best friend and wife, Linnea, for her continued encouragement, love, and long-suffering throughout this process. Additionally, I would like to thank our wonderful children (Caleb, Jensen, and Liana), who make this all worth it. I appreciate their support as Daddy worked for many hours and their little celebrations along the way of completing the dissertation. I also want to acknowledge our families and friends for their continued encouragement and prayers. Academically and professionally, I want to acknowledge my advisor, Dr. Karin Jordan, for her continued encouragement and example of how to carry oneself in a professional but personal manner. Thanks to Dr. Ingrid Weigold for her assistance and availability in the statistical analysis process. Additionally, I appreciate the guidance provided by Dr. Rebecca Boyle, Dr. Cynthia Reynolds, and Dr. Evonn Welton for their continued suggestions and direction for the completion of the dissertation. I also want to thank Dr. Linda Perosa for her suggestions and passion that lead to the initial development of the study. iv Additionally, I acknowledge my work family for their encouragement and time in assisting with the organizing of the data for the study. I admire and respect their continued encouragement and collaboration in providing critical and exceptional care to the families and adolescents who were served during the duration of this study. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 Adolescent Depression ............................................................................... 2 Prevalence ........................................................................................... 2 Risks .................................................................................................... 3 Parent-Adolescent Communication ............................................................ 3 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................... 5 Conceptual Framework for the Study ......................................................... 5 Parent-Adolescent Communication .................................................... 6 Impact of Communication ................................................................... 7 Treatments for Adolescent Depression ....................................................... 8 Psychopharmacology .......................................................................... 9 Individual Focused Psychotherapy ..................................................... 9 Family Therapy .................................................................................. 10 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................. 11 Research Objectives .................................................................................... 11 vi General Research Questions ...................................................................... 12 Significance of the Study ........................................................................... 13 Definition of Terms .................................................................................... 14 Limitations ................................................................................................. 15 Organization of the Study ........................................................................... 15 Summary .................................................................................................... 15 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .................................................................... 17 Adolescent Depression ............................................................................... 17 Depression Symptoms ............................................................................... 21 Adolescent Depression Treatment .............................................................. 26 Psychopharmacology / Psychopharmacology and Psychotherapy ..... 26 Individual Focused Psychotherapy ..................................................... 29 Family Therapy .................................................................................. 37 Summary ............................................................................................. 43 General Systems Theory ............................................................................. 44 Communication ........................................................................................... 46 Parent-Adolescent Communication ..................................................... 47 Depression Symptom Development and Communication .................. 50 Summary .................................................................................................... 58 III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................. 59 Statement of Problem .................................................................................. 59 Research Design.......................................................................................... 59 Description of Setting and Data Collection Procedures ............................. 63 vii Data ..................................................................................................... 64 Participants .................................................................................................. 65 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria ......................................................... 65 Instruments .................................................................................................. 66 Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) ................... 66 Family Communication Scale ............................................................ 68 Statistical Analyses .................................................................................... 71 Limitation ........................................................................................... 72 Research Question and Hypothesis One - (Correlation) ............................. 73 Research Question and Hypothesis Two - (Correlation) ............................ 73 Research Question and Hypothesis Three - (Hierarchical Regression) ...... 74 Summary .................................................................................................... 75 IV. RESULTS .......................................................................................................... 76 Descriptive Statistics ................................................................................... 76 Data Cleaning ...................................................................................... 77 Demographic Statistics ....................................................................... 80 Research Hypothesis Test Results ............................................................. 82 Hypothesis 1 ....................................................................................... 83 Hypothesis 2 ........................................................................................ 84 Hypothesis 3 ......................................................................................