Developmental cascades from maternal depressive symptoms in childhood to adolescents' friendship quality: A 13-year longitudinal study.

ABSTRACT: Adolescent friendships of positive quality promote well-being for decades to come. But what impedes the development of positive friendship quality? The present study examined whether maternal depressive symptoms during early childhood predict children's friendship quality into adolescence, and whether observed negative parenting behavior and children's earlier friendship quality, social skills, and their own depressive symptoms in middle childhood mediate these associations. We used six waves of data from a prospective longitudinal community sample (N = 396). The study followed children and their mothers across 13 years from child ages 2-15 years (52% female, 67% White, 26% Black), collecting multi-informant data (from mothers, children, teachers, and behavioral observations). The s

SUBMITTER: Bechtiger L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11986645 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature