Title

The Relationship Between Parents' and Children's Automatic Thoughts in a College Student Sample

Authors

Authors

R. Donnelly; K. Renk; V. K. Sims;J. McGuire

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Child Psychiat. Hum. Dev.

Keywords

Automatic thoughts; Depression; Anxiety; Self-esteem; Communication; SELF-STATEMENT MODIFICATION; COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOR THERAPY; EXPECTATION; DISCREPANCIES; DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS; PRIVATE SPEECH; META-ANALYSIS; INNER; SPEECH; DISORDERS; ANXIETY; COMMUNICATION; Psychology, Developmental; Pediatrics; Psychiatry

Abstract

Research demonstrates the importance of early social interactions in the development of schemas and automatic thoughts. It does not appear, however, that the existing research examines intergenerational correlations in automatic thoughts. As a result, this study explores the relationship between the automatic thoughts of parents and those of their college-age children in a sample of 252 college students and their mothers and fathers. Results of this study suggest that there are significant relationships between parents' and college students' positive automatic thoughts. Different trends by gender also are noted in the relationships among variables for male and female college students with their mothers and fathers. Further, mothers' positive ATs predicted the positive ATs of their college students, with mothers' ratings of their own communication with their college students mediating partially this relationship. Finally, college students' anxiety and self-esteem is predicted significantly by their mothers' anxiety and self-esteem (respectively) as well as their own positive and negative ATs. These findings suggest the possibility that ATs play a role in the intergenerational transmission of certain domains of psychological functioning.

Journal Title

Child Psychiatry & Human Development

Volume

42

Issue/Number

2

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

197

Last Page

218

WOS Identifier

WOS:000288900500006

ISSN

0009-398X

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