McLaughlin Katie A, Hatzenbuehler Mark L
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
J Adolesc Health. 2009 Feb;44(2):153-160. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.06.019. Epub 2008 Oct 25.
Stressful life events represent potent risk factors for the development of internalizing symptoms among adolescents. However the mechanisms linking stress to adolescent psychopathology remain inadequately understood. This study examined the role of emotion dysregulation as a mechanism linking stress to changes in internalizing symptoms among adolescents.
This study used a short-term longitudinal design. Stressful life events were assessed in a large diverse sample of adolescents (N = 1065), and emotion dysregulation and symptomatology outcomes were assessed at two subsequent time points. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the role of emotion dysregulation as a mediator of the association between stress and subsequent changes in internalizing symptoms.
Emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between stressful life events and changes in internalizing symptoms over time. Sobel's test indicated a significant indirect effect of stressful life events on subsequent symptoms of depression (z = 5.05, p < .001) and anxiety (z = 4.95, p < .001) through emotion dysregulation.
Stressful life events appear to disrupt the adaptive processing of emotion among adolescents. Emotion dysregulation represents an intrapersonal mechanism linking stress to poor mental health outcomes. The implications for preventive interventions are discussed.
生活应激事件是青少年内化症状发展的重要风险因素。然而，压力与青少年精神病理学之间的联系机制仍未得到充分理解。本研究考察了情绪失调作为压力与青少年内化症状变化之间联系机制的作用。
本研究采用短期纵向设计。在一个多样化的青少年大样本（N = 1065）中评估生活应激事件，并在随后的两个时间点评估情绪失调和症状学结果。采用结构方程模型来考察情绪失调作为压力与内化症状后续变化之间关联的中介作用。
情绪失调介导了生活应激事件与内化症状随时间的变化之间的关系。索贝尔检验表明，生活应激事件通过情绪失调对后续抑郁症状（z = 5.05，p <.001）和焦虑症状（z = 4.95，p <.001）有显著的间接影响。
生活应激事件似乎扰乱了青少年情绪的适应性处理。情绪失调是一种将压力与不良心理健康结果联系起来的个体内部机制。讨论了对预防性干预的启示。
