Problem:
Alternatively, youth with an internalizing disorder (MDD or DD) portrayed their families much differently. Specifically, items endorsed on the Enmeshment subscale of the SRMFF-C indicate that these families are characterized by inappropriately close relationships that foster dependence. In addition, family members may use guilt as emotional leverage to maintain this enmeshed relationship. Due to these factors, family members may feel a great deal of pressure to conform to the attitudes and emotions of other family members. An effect of this is that they doubt their own emotions and may take on the emotional state of other family members instead. This may be particularly problematic if one or both parents suffer from a mood disorder as well (Beardslee, Bemporad, Keller, & Klerman, 1983). It is also important to note that these diagnostic groups did not differ on a number of family environment variables. For example, researchers have found that disordered youth reported less cohesion and more conflict in their families when compared to normal youth (Dadds et al., 1992; Fendrich et al., 1990; Haddad et al., 1991). However, these two broad family environment variables were comparable among diagnostic groups in this study. Specifically, reported levels of cohesion between groups were nearly identical, while reported levels of conflict were somewhat higher for the CD group, although this difference was not statistically significant. Therefore, it appears that less cohesion and more. Need Assignment Help?