(PS3-36) Maternal and Offspring Reward Positivity Differentially Predict Dimensional Symptoms of Adolescent Depression

Abstract Text: The reward positivity (RewP), a positive deflection in an event-related potential (ERP) that emerges following reward feedback, may be a risk factor for adolescent depression. While a blunted RewP has been observed in individuals with severe major depressive disorder, some evidence suggests that an enhanced RewP may be associated with mild to moderate depression, particularly when examining cognitive symptoms (e.g., self esteem). Another significant risk factor for adolescent depression is maternal depression. Therefore, examining both maternal and offspring RewP in relation to multiple dimensions of depression symptoms in offspring may elucidate our understanding of the neural mechanisms through which depression risk is transmitted from parent to child. The present study explores whether maternal RewP and offspring RewP predict five dimensions of depression symptoms in offspring: anhedonia, self-esteem, negative mood, interpersonal problems, and ineffectiveness. As part of a larger study, 199 adolescents (aged 11 to 14) and their mothers completed the doors task to measure neural activity related to gains, losses and the difference between the two (ΔRewP) using electroencephalogram. The adolescents (56.8% male, 68.8% non-Hispanic White) also completed the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) to measure depression. The CDI subscales were summed to create the five categories of anhedonia, self-esteem, negative mood, interpersonal problems, and ineffectiveness. We conducted six linear regressions by entering both child and mother ΔRewP as predictors of the offspring CDI total score and each subscale. For the CDI total score, an enhanced maternal ΔRewP predicted greater depression in offspring (B = 0.30, p < 0.05), while a blunted offspring ΔRewP predicted greater depression in themselves (B = -0.17, p = 0.058), although the latter effect was only marginally significant. For the CDI subscales, a blunted offspring ΔRewP predicted greater anhedonia (B = -0.08, p < 0.01), while an enhanced maternal ΔRewP predicted worse self-esteem (B = 0.07, p < 0.05) and negative mood (B = 0.09, p < 0.05). All other relationships were non-significant. The findings suggest that adolescent depression, particularly anhedonia symptoms, are related to blunted reward positivity. Greater maternal reward was linked to higher levels of depression symptoms in offspring, specifically in the self-esteem and negative mood domains. One possible explanation for these results is a "toxic positivity” effect. Heightened maternal response may be reflective of an overly-optimistic or reward-focused parenting approach. This overemphasis on positivity may cause offspring to internalize unrealistic expectations about success and emotional experiences, potentially exacerbating issues in self-esteem and negative mood.