Indirect Pathways from Parent–Child Relationship Quality to Adolescent Girls’ Internalizing Symptoms Through Emotion Dysregulation: Stress as a Moderator

The present study examined whether mother–daughter relationship quality was indirectly associated with adolescent girls’ depressive and anxiety symptoms through emotion dysregulation and whether these indirect associations varied as a function of perceived stress. Participants included 104 adolescent girls aged 11–21 years (M = 15.73, SD = 2.51) and their mothers (Mage = 43.17, SD = 8.58). Mothers and daughters independently reported on mother–daughter relationship closeness and discord, while daughters reported their emotion dysregulation, perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Four moderated mediation models were conducted, varying by reporter of relationship quality (daughter vs. mother) and internalizing outcome (depressive vs. anxiety symptoms). For depressive symptoms, stress moderated the association between emotion dysregulation and depression. The indirect association between relationship discord and depressive symptoms through emotion dysregulation was significant at average and high levels of stress but not at low stress. For anxiety symptoms, stress did not moderate the association between emotion dysregulation and anxiety. Instead, relationship discord showed a significant indirect association with anxiety symptoms through emotion dysregulation regardless of stress level. Mother–daughter relationship discord may be associated with adolescent girls’ internalizing symptoms through emotion dysregulation, with stress further shaping this process for depressive symptoms.