Water Contaminant Levels Interact with Parenting Environment to Predict Development of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents
Publication Date
1-2020
Document Type
Article
Organizational Units
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology
Keywords
Depressive symptoms, Environmental contamination, Family relationships, Lead, Psychological health, Water quality
Abstract
Contaminants in drinking water, such as lead, nitrate, and arsenic, have been linked to negative physical health outcomes. We know less, however, about whether such pollutants also predict mental health problems and, if so, the conditions under which such effects are strongest. In this longitudinal study, we examined whether drinking water contaminants interact with negative family environments (parental psychological control) to predict changes in depressive symptoms in 110 adolescents—a developmental period when symptoms often first emerge. We found that for adolescents in psychologically controlling families, levels of drinking water contaminants prospectively predicted depressive symptoms 2 years later; this effect was not present in adolescents in non‐controlling families. Importantly, these associations were not accounted for by family‐ or community‐level socioeconomic resources, demographic features, or by the adolescents’ stress exposure. These findings highlight the interplay of physical and psychological environments in influencing depressive symptoms in adolescents.
Copyright Date
4-22-2019
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. User is responsible for all copyright compliance. This article was originally published as:
Manczak, E. M., Miller, J. G., & Gotlib, I. H. (2020). Water contaminant levels interact with parenting environment to predict development of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Developmental Science, 23(1), E12838. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12838
Rights Holder
John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Provenance
Received from CHORUS
Language
English (eng)
Publication Title
Developmental Science
Volume
23(1)
First Page
E12838
ISSN
1467-7687
Recommended Citation
Manczak, E. M., Miller, J. G., & Gotlib, I. H. (2020). Water contaminant levels interact with parenting environment to predict development of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Developmental Science, 23(1), E12838. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12838