Maternal depression and anxiety in an interpersonal context: The effects of positive–negative self-expressiveness within the family

In the context of interpersonal risk models of psychopathology, little is known about the role of self-expressiveness within the family (SEF) in individual psychological distress. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory study was to examine main and interaction effects of positive and negative SEF on maternal depression and anxiety symptoms. The “Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire—Short Form” (SEFQ-SF) and the “Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale” (HADS) were administered to a sample of 403 mothers of toddlers, preschoolers and elementary school-aged children. Regression analyses and PROCESS computational tool in particular were used to examine main and interaction/moderating effects. Positive and negative SEF revealed altogether a medium-sized main effect on depressive symptoms, and negative SEF displayed a medium-sized main effect on anxiety symptoms. Positive SEF was found to buffer the association between negative SEF and maternal depressive symptoms. These preliminary findings suggest that positive and negative SEF may be differentially targeted in interventions to prevent or decrease maternal depression and anxiety symptoms. Specifically, the cultivation of positive SEF is likely to attenuate the detrimental effects of negative SEF on specific dimensions of maternal mental health.