Bennett, R.; (2004) Shame and psychopathology in adolescence. Doctoral thesis , University of London.

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Abstract

Shame has been theorised to contribute to several areas of psychopathology that are particularly prominent in adolescence. However, it is an area that has received little attention in empirical research to date. In order to explore the role of shame in the development of adolescent psychological problems, a cross-sectional study was conducted which involved one hundred and sixty teenagers from an Inner London school. Data regarding psychological problems, current shame-proneness, and perception of parenting were collected via questionnaires. Adolescent psychological problems were shown to be associated with shame and no effect was found for age or gender. It was also found that shame, parental styles of overprotection and emotional unavailability, and psychological problems were all related in adolescence, similar to previous findings with adults, and that shame partially mediated the relationships of parenting styles and emotional problems. Furthermore, the independent effect of shame seemed to have a greater effect on psychological problems than did peer group difficulties, which may suggest that even through the 'rebellious' phase of adolescence, parenting style holds more importance psychologically, to the teenager, than peer relationships. The findings imply that feelings of shame may be a useful focus in therapy with teenagers and that preventative interventions aimed at altering parenting style could be implemented before the child reaches adolescence for a better effect.

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