Papers by Daniel Kopala-Sibley
Insecure attachment and the personality dimensions of self-criticism and dependency have been pro... more Insecure attachment and the personality dimensions of self-criticism and dependency have been proposed as risk factors for suicide in adolescents. The present study examines whether self-criticism and dependency mediate the relationship between insecure attachment styles and suicidality. A sample of 340 high-school students (73.2% females), ranging in age from 13 to 20 years (M = 16.47, SD = 1.52), completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Attachment Style Questionnaire, and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised. The results partially support the expected mediation effects. Self-criticism, but not dependency, mediates the link between insecure attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and suicide-related behaviors. Implications for suicide risk assessment and management are discussed.
Psychometric Aspects of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire: Implications for Clinical Assessment and Research
Journal of personality assessment, Jan 15, 2017
The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) is a self-report measure that assesses self-critic... more The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) is a self-report measure that assesses self-criticism and dependency, 2 personality traits that confer vulnerability to depression (Blatt, 2004 ). Over several decades, different, shortened versions of the DEQ have been constructed to offer an alternative to the complex scoring procedure of the original DEQ. This study explores the factor structure as well as the construct and convergent validity of the DEQ by comparing a clinical and nonclinical sample. We also compared the original DEQ with 5 shortened versions. There were 621 participants (358 university students and 263 outpatients). Fit indexes for models of the original DEQ did not meet minimum fit criteria. Moreover, the only versions with satisfactory fit were the Theoretical Depressive Experiences Questionnaire-21 (TDEQ-21) and the Theoretical Depressive Experiences Questionnaire-12 (TDEQ-12), which also showed acceptable construct and convergent validity. Finally, the diagnost...
Distinguishing types of social withdrawal in children: Internalizing and externalizing outcomes of conflicted shyness versus social disinterest across childhood
Journal of Research in Personality, 2016
Hurricane Sandy Questionnaire
PsycTESTS Dataset, 2000
Negative Emotionality and Its Facets Moderate the Effects of Exposure to Hurricane Sandy on Children's Postdisaster Depression and Anxiety Symptoms
Journal of abnormal psychology, Jan 31, 2016
According to diathesis-stress models, temperament traits such as negative emotionality (NE) may m... more According to diathesis-stress models, temperament traits such as negative emotionality (NE) may moderate the effects of stressors on the development of symptoms of psychopathology, although little research has tested such models in children. Moreover, there are few data on whether specific facets of NE (sadness, fear, or anger) may specifically moderate the effects of stress on depression versus anxiety. Finally, there is a paucity of research examining whether childhood temperament moderates the effect of disaster exposure on depressive or anxiety symptoms. Hurricane Sandy, which affected many thousands of people in New York State and the surrounding regions in October 2012, offers a unique opportunity to address these gaps. Seven to eight years prior to Hurricane Sandy, 332 children 3 years old completed lab-based measures of NE and its facets. Six years later, when they were 9 years old, each mother rated her child's depressive and anxiety symptoms. Approximately 8 weeks post...
Early childhood cortisol reactivity moderates the effects of parent-child relationship quality on the development of children's temperament in early childhood
Developmental Science, 2015
Positive parenting has been related both to lower cortisol reactivity and more adaptive temperame... more Positive parenting has been related both to lower cortisol reactivity and more adaptive temperament traits in children, whereas elevated cortisol reactivity may be related to maladaptive temperament traits, such as higher negative emotionality (NE) and lower positive emotionality (PE). However, no studies have examined whether hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, as measured by cortisol reactivity, moderates the effect of the quality of the parent-child relationship on changes in temperament in early childhood. In this study, 126 3-year-olds were administered the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab-TAB; Goldsmith et al., 1995) as a measure of temperamental NE and PE. Salivary cortisol was collected from the child at 4 time points during this task. The primary parent and the child completed the Teaching Tasks battery (Egeland et al., 1995), from which the quality of the relationship was coded. At age 6, children completed the Lab-TAB again. From age 3 to 6, adjusting for age 3 PE or NE, a better quality relationship with their primary parent predicted decreases in NE for children with elevated cortisol reactivity and predicted increases in PE for children with low cortisol reactivity. Results have implications for our understanding of the interaction of biological stress systems and the parent-child relationship in the development of temperament in childhood.
Journal of abnormal child psychology, Jan 30, 2015
Considerable research exists documenting the relationship between maternal mood disorders, primar... more Considerable research exists documenting the relationship between maternal mood disorders, primarily major depressive disorder (MDD), and a variety of negative child outcomes. By contrast, research exploring the reverse pathway whereby child traits are associated with later maternal mood disorders is much more limited. We examined whether young children's temperament and psychopathology predicted maternal mood disorders approximately 6 years later. Child temperament and symptoms were assessed at age three using semi-structured diagnostic interviews and parent-report inventories. Maternal psychopathology was assessed with semi-structured interviews when children were 3 and 9 years old. Mothers also reported on their marital satisfaction when children were 3 and 6 years old. Child temperamental negative affectivity (NA), depressive symptoms, and externalizing behavior problems significantly predicted maternal mood disorders over and above prior maternal mood, anxiety, and substanc...
Review of General Psychology
This paper reviews theory and research on the developmental origins of several widely studied per... more This paper reviews theory and research on the developmental origins of several widely studied personality vulnerabilities to psychopathology that represent the self-definitional (self-criticism, autonomy, and perfectionism) or relatedness (dependency and sociotropy) domains identified in Blatt's (2008), Blatt and Shichman's (1983), and Beck's (Beck et al., 1983) 2-polarities models of personality. We examine the evidence for the effects of both parenting and peer relationships. We conclude that there is a robust relationship between negative parenting behaviors and the 5 personality vulnerabilities reviewed here which pertain to both self-definition and relatedness, with recent evidence suggesting a possible effect of peer relationships over and above parents. The available evidence suggests that all of the negative developmental experiences studied to date contribute to the development of all the personality vulnerabilities reviewed here. In light of this, we suggest po...
The Development of Self-Criticism and Dependency in Early Adolescence and Their Role in the Development of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms
Personality & social psychology bulletin, Jan 19, 2015
According to Blatt and others (e.g., A. T. Beck), self-definition, or one's sense of self, an... more According to Blatt and others (e.g., A. T. Beck), self-definition, or one's sense of self, and one's sense of relatedness to others represent core lifespan developmental tasks. This study examined the role of events pertaining to self-definition or relatedness in the development of personality traits from each domain (self-criticism and dependency), and their relationship to the development of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Two hundred seventy-six early adolescents completed a measure of self-criticism and dependency at baseline and again 24 months later, along with measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Every 3 months, participants completed a measure of life events, which were coded as self-definitional or relatedness oriented (80% rater agreement, kappa = .70). Structural equation models showed that self-definitional events predicted increases in self-criticism, which in turn predicted increases in depressive symptoms, whereas relatedness events predicted increase...
Archives of Women's Mental Health, 2014
Although the transition to menopause represents a period of risk for depressive symptoms, there i... more Although the transition to menopause represents a period of risk for depressive symptoms, there is little research into personality or trait-like factors that may confer vulnerability to depression during the transition to menopause. This study investigated whether the personality trait of selfcriticism moderated the effects of irritability on depressive symptoms in women transitioning to menopause and whether these effects were mediated by lower levels of emotional regulation. Participants were 376 women, of whom 157 had entered the transition phase to menopause. These women in the transition phase completed measures of self-criticism, irritable mood, emotional regulation, and depressive symptoms. All analyses controlled for attitudes toward menopause and somatic symptoms. Moderated mediation regression analyses showed that higher levels of irritability were associated with poorer emotional regulation in highly self-critical women, but not in less self-critical women, and poorer emotional regulation was, in turn, related to higher levels depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that the transition to menopause may represent an especially vulnerable period for women with high levels of self-criticism. Although irritability is transitory for most women, for women who are highly self-critical, irritability may tax their ability to self-regulate and lead to more encompassing symptoms of depression.
The British journal of clinical psychology / the British Psychological Society, 2014
This study examined how the personality traits of self-criticism and dependency moderated the eff... more This study examined how the personality traits of self-criticism and dependency moderated the effects of situational interpersonal cues on fear during interpersonal interactions among individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). We hypothesized that self-criticism would moderate the fear-inducing effects of situational self-consciousness and that dependency would moderate the fear-inducing effects of situational emotional insecurity. Forty SAD patients (Mage = 29.23) and matched community controls (Mage = 28.93) completed event-contingent record forms after each significant social interaction of over 5 min for a 20-day period. There were 20 female patients and 20 male patients in each group. Event-level self-consciousness was more strongly associated with elevations in fear among socially anxious patients who reported higher levels of self-criticism, while event-level emotional security was more strongly associated with decreases in fear among SAD patients who reported higher lev...
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 2013
Numerous studies have shown that personality factors may increase or decrease individuals' vulner... more Numerous studies have shown that personality factors may increase or decrease individuals' vulnerability to depression, but little research has examined the role of peer relationships in the development of these factors. Accordingly, this study examined the role of recalled parenting and peer experiences in the development of selfcriticism and self-reassurance. It was hypothesized that, controlling for recalled parenting behaviours, specific recalled experiences of peer relationships would be related to current levels of specific forms of self-criticism and self-reassurance.
Self-Criticism, Neediness, and Connectedness as Predictors of Interpersonal Behavioral Variability
Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2013
Journal of Adult Development, 2013
A sizeable body of research suggests that selfdefinition and relatedness represent two fundamenta... more A sizeable body of research suggests that selfdefinition and relatedness represent two fundamental developmental streams across the lifespan (Blatt in Psychoanal Study Child 29:107-157, 1974; Blatt and Luyten in Dev Psychopathol 21:793-814, 2009). Adverse developmental experiences have been found to affect personality development leading to high levels of self-criticism or dependency. No research to date has examined the developmental trends of these factors across the lifespan or the moderating impact of important life experiences. In a sample of 3,586 Canadians aged 18-59, age-related differences in self-criticism and dependency were examined. Analyses were replicated in a multicultural sample of 612 Canadians and 647 individuals born and currently living on the continent of Asia. Controlling for both neuroticism and depressive symptoms, results showed that self-criticism and dependency decreased linearly across the lifespan in both samples and across cultures; however, the decrease in self-criticism was steeper for men compared to women, while the decrease in dependency was steeper for those without children compared to those with children. Furthermore, participants who were in a romantic relationship showed lower levels of selfcriticism and higher levels of dependency compared to those who were not in a romantic relationship. Results suggest that people may develop a healthier view of close relationships with others and acquire more positive self-views over the course of their lives.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2012
This study examined whether the personality traits of self-criticism and dependency respectively ... more This study examined whether the personality traits of self-criticism and dependency respectively moderated the effects of perceived inferiority and emotional insecurity on negative affect during interpersonal interactions in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). A sample of 38 patients with BPD and matched community comparison participants completed event-contingent record forms after each significant interaction for a 20-day period. Multilevel models showed that, controlling for baseline levels of depressive symptoms and neuroticism, as well as lagged negative affect, event-level elevations in perceived inferiority and emotional insecurity were related to more negative affect in both groups. Event-level perceived inferiority was more strongly associated with negative affect in patients with BPD who reported higher levels of self-criticism, while event-level perceived emotional insecurity was more strongly associated with negative affect in patients with BPD who reported higher levels of dependency. No significant interactions emerged for the comparison group. These findings further our understanding of differences among patients with BPD and support the application of personalityvulnerability or diathesis-stress models in predicting negative affect in BPD. Results have implications for the design of therapies for patients with BPD.
Early Child Development and Care, 2012
This study tested Belsky's determinants of parenting, namely maternal characteristics, child char... more This study tested Belsky's determinants of parenting, namely maternal characteristics, child characteristics, and contextual issues, namely the mother's perception of the husband as a father, husband, and person. Three hundred and seventy-nine mothers first investigated by Sears, Maccoby, and Levin completed a standardised interview to assess their parenting attitudes and behaviours, as well as their fiveyear-old child's (202 boys, 177 girls) behaviours. Rejecting mothers had lower maternal self-esteem and higher academic expectations of their children, who showed less conscience and less similarity to the mother, and perceived their husbands as being colder towards the child. Furthermore, mothers with low selfesteem were more rejecting of girls with a difficult temperament, but less rejecting of boys with a difficult temperament. Controlling mothers were more educated and had higher academic expectations for their children, while their children were less likely to dominate their relationship, but only in mothers with low maternal selfesteem. Results partially support Belsky's model of the determinants of parenting.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 2009
Although cognitive theory gives automatic thoughts a causal role in the onset of negative mood an... more Although cognitive theory gives automatic thoughts a causal role in the onset of negative mood and depressive symptoms, little research has directly tested this relationship, and no research has examined whether automatic thoughts explain the effects of personality factors, life events, and positive mood on negative affect. Accordingly, automatic thoughts were prospectively tested as a mediator of the effects of personality vulnerability factors, positive affect, and hassles on mood. Measures of self-criticism and dependency were administered at baseline, and measures of automatic thoughts, hassles, and positive and negative affect were administered once per week for 4 weeks to 102 college students. Automatic thoughts fully mediated the effects of self-criticism and partially mediated the effects of dependency and hassles on mood. Findings suggest that negative thoughts only partially account for the relationship among personality, hassles, and mood. Results also showed that the impact of positive affect on negative affect may be mediated by the presence or absence of automatic thoughts.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 2010
Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 2012
Dependency is a stable vulnerability factor for depression, and prior research has supported the ... more Dependency is a stable vulnerability factor for depression, and prior research has supported the role of parenting in its development. However, no research has examined the role of peer attachments in the development of dependency. In this study we examined the relationship between recalled parenting and peer attachments and current levels of relatively adaptive and maladaptive forms of dependency, namely connectedness and neediness. Two hundred young adults completed measures of recalled parenting, recalled peer attachments, and current levels of Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Connectedness, and Neediness. Hierarchical regression analyses controlling for Neuroticism and Agreeableness showed that although higher levels of Connectedness and lower levels of Neediness were related to more recalled maternal care, they also were related to better quality recalled peer attachments, over and above the effects of parenting. Furthermore, recalled peer attachments interacted with recalled parenting such that peer attachments were more strongly related to Connectedness when maternal care was low and to Neediness when maternal control was low. Findings suggest the importance of peer attachment in the development of personality risk factors for depression.
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Papers by Daniel Kopala-Sibley