Parents’ psychological control and Latina young women’s depressive symptoms: Examining the role of perceived dyadic coping behaviors from sisters

Abstract

Given that Latina young women experience high rates of depressive symptoms, identifying how to improve mental health among this population is critical. Perceived psychological control from mothers and fathers is associated with Latine young adults’ depressive symptoms. We examined how perceived supportive (e.g., showing empathy after stress disclosure) and negative (e.g., ignoring stress after stress disclosure) dyadic coping behaviors from sisters attenuated or strengthened the association between parents’ psychological control and depressive symptoms. Our sample included 195 Latina young women (M = 23.24 years, SD = 1.95; Median = 24.00 years; 64% Mexican origin). Using hierarchical regression analyses, we found that perceived psychological control from fathers and perceived negative dyadic coping behaviors from sisters were positively associated with Latina young women’s depressive symptoms. Perceived supportive dyadic coping behaviors from sisters exacerbated the association between perceived psychological control from mothers and depressive symptoms. Also, perceived negative dyadic coping behaviors from sisters strengthened the positive association between psychological control from mothers and depressive symptoms, although the follow-up analyses only reached trend level (p = .06). Our findings show the importance of decreasing psychological control from parents and negative dyadic coping behaviors from sisters as a way to reduce Latina young women’s depressive symptoms.