Tuning in to teens : examining the effectiveness and mechanisms of change of an emotion focused group parenting intervention for adolescent internalizing psychopathology in Chinese context

Abstract

Internalizing disorders, including anxiety and depression, are prevalent during adolescence. While individual psychotherapy is recommended as the primary treatment, its effects on adolescents are modest. Emotion competence is linked to anxiety and depression in adolescents, those who struggle with internalizing problems often have deficits in emotion competence. Based on emotion socialization theory, youth emotion competence can be impacted by emotion socialization parenting practices. These practices, in turn, are influenced by parent’s emotion regulation, mental health, and family emotion climate. The current study evaluated the effectiveness and mechanisms of change of the Tuning in to Teens (TINT) parenting program in reducing youth internalizing symptoms. The thesis includes two studies. Study 1 used a randomized controlled design, recruiting participants from local hospitals and randomly assigning them to intervention and waitlist control groups. Parents in the intervention group received a 6-session program that focused on parent emotional competence and emotion socialization parenting practices. Data were collected from 81 parent and adolescent dyads at baseline, immediate post-group, and 3-month post-group. Our results supported the hypothesis that TINT significantly improved youth internalizing symptoms for the intervention group in 3 months’ time. Nevertheless, the hypothesized pathways that TINT would influence emotion socialization parenting practice through parent emotional competence, and TINT would reduce youth internalizing symptoms through emotion socialization parenting practices were not supported. Meanwhile, TINT had an impact on youth internalizing symptoms through changes in youth emotional competence. Study 2 extended Study 1 and examined other parent emotion socialization variables that may influence youth anxiety and depression through youth emotional competence. Data were collected from 162 Chinese parents. The results supported our hypotheses that parental depression, parental anxiety, parental stress, and family conflict were significant predictors of youth emotional competence. The research findings support the use of emotion-focused parenting program to improve youth internalizing psychopathology in Hong Kong.