Publication
A Relação Entre a Superproteção Parental e a Sintomatologia Ansiosa e Depressiva nas Crianças: O Papel Mediador do Evitamento Experiencial e das Dificuldades na Expressão Emocional
| Summary: | Objectives: In recent decades, there has been growing interest in the study of family and individual factors associated with children's mental health. This study aimed to explore the relationship between parental overprotection and children's anxiety and depressive symptoms, and to understand the possible mediating role of experiential avoidance and difficulties in emotional expression, both sequentially and independently. Methods: The sample included 245 children, aged between 6 and 13 years, diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression disorders, and their legal representatives. Data were collected between June 2020 and March 2022 using a self-response protocol that included the Parental Anxiety and Overprotection Scale (PAOS), the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), the Emotional Expression Scale for Children (EESC), and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y). Results: Parental overprotection behaviours were found to be significantly associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms in children, both directly and indirectly through experiential avoidance and through experiential avoidance followed by difficulties in emotional expression. Conclusion: The results suggest that experiential avoidance and difficulties in emotional expression in children are mechanisms that explain the relationship between parental overprotection and children's anxiety and depressive symptoms. Thus, this study reinforces the importance of psychological interventions focusing on psychological flexibility in children with emotional disorders and on modifying overprotective parental behaviours. |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | Estrela, Margarida Felizardo Alpalhão |
| Subject: | children anxious and depressive symptoms parental overprotection emotional expression experiential avoidance crianças sintomatologia ansiosa e depressiva superproteção parental expressão emocional evitamento experiencial |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | master thesis |
| Access type: | embargoed access |
| Associated institution: | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| Origin: | Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra |
| Summary: | Objectives: In recent decades, there has been growing interest in the study of family and individual factors associated with children's mental health. This study aimed to explore the relationship between parental overprotection and children's anxiety and depressive symptoms, and to understand the possible mediating role of experiential avoidance and difficulties in emotional expression, both sequentially and independently. Methods: The sample included 245 children, aged between 6 and 13 years, diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression disorders, and their legal representatives. Data were collected between June 2020 and March 2022 using a self-response protocol that included the Parental Anxiety and Overprotection Scale (PAOS), the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), the Emotional Expression Scale for Children (EESC), and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y). Results: Parental overprotection behaviours were found to be significantly associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms in children, both directly and indirectly through experiential avoidance and through experiential avoidance followed by difficulties in emotional expression. Conclusion: The results suggest that experiential avoidance and difficulties in emotional expression in children are mechanisms that explain the relationship between parental overprotection and children's anxiety and depressive symptoms. Thus, this study reinforces the importance of psychological interventions focusing on psychological flexibility in children with emotional disorders and on modifying overprotective parental behaviours. |
|---|