EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, PATERNAL EMOTIONAL AVAILABILITY, AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOM SEVERITY IN YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

The relationship between parental Emotional Availability (EA) and depression is well-supported empirically. However, the specific aspects of EA associated with depression are unclear. EA has often focused on the lack or presence of warmth, neglecting another dimension of EA – emotional unavailability. The study aimed to examine if EA predicted depression. EA was studied as the average of warmth, neglect and antipathy. The study was also interested in how aspects of culture would predict levels of EA and if Paternal EA was lower than and led to less significant effects than Maternal EA. Through a series of self-report questionnaires, the study examined the cultural differences, levels of parental EA and depression among a sample of undergraduates in Singapore (N = 229). Contrary to expectation, results indicated that Maternal EA positively predicts depression. Paternal EA was found to indeed be lower than Maternal EA. Culture also predicted parental EA, though contrary to our hypotheses, collectivism positively predicted EA while individualism negatively predicted EA. In order to address the pressing issue of poor mental health trends amongst Singaporean young adults and given the complexity of mental health challenges, more needs to be examined, whether it be parental EA or predictors of depression aside from parental EA.