Family expressiveness and proneness to depression among college women

Abstract

The poor social functioning that is frequently associated with depression may partly reflect styles of emotional expressiveness learned in the family of origin. The relationships between proneness to depression and the amount and types of family expressiveness were studied for 57 college women. Although total family expressiveness was not significantly correlated with depression proneness, results suggested that lower levels of positive family expressiveness and higher amounts of negative family expressiveness each were associated with proneness to depression. A group of high depression-prone women reported approximately equal amounts of positive versus negative family expressiveness while a low depression-prone group reported more positive than negative family expressiveness. An emphasis on the positive expression of emotions within the family may be associated with a decreased risk of depression. Women who learn to express and receive positive emotions may have more satisfying relationships and less depression.