The Role of Temperament and Parental Style in Predicting Desire Thinking and Anger Rumination

The objective of this study was to investigate the relative contribution of temperament and parental style in predicting Desire Thinking and Anger Rumination. 200 Italian adolescents (mean age: 15.79±1.35, range 14-19) were administered self-report questionnaires to assess anxiety, depression, temperament, parental style, Desire Thinking and Anger Rumination. Hierarchical regression analyses and GLM have been implemented to investigate predictor’s effects. Results showed that Desire Thinking was predicted by low levels of Maternal Overprotection and Harm Avoidance, high levels of Novelty Seeking, whereas Anger Rumination was predicted by low levels of Maternal Overprotection, high levels of Novelty Seeking and Reward Dependence. GLM found significant interaction effects between the two variables Maternal Overprotection/Harm Avoidance for Desire Thinking. Differently, in the model on Anger Rumination we found significant interaction effects between the two variables Maternal Overprotection/Reward Dependence and Novelty Seeking/Reward Dependence. Results present important clinical implications. In particular, the knowledge of environmental and temperamental risk factors can help to identify subjects at high risk for Desire Thinking and Anger Rumination, in order to prevent psychopathology connected with these rigid thinking processes.