Teens don’t respond well to parents who shout, swear or insult them, according to a study published in Child Development. Not only does it usually not work, but it actually can spark depression.

The study, authored by Ming-Te Wang of the University of Pittsburgh, found that 13-year-olds who were the subject of lots of angry verbal discipline were more likely to exhibit symptoms of depression a year later. They were also far more likely to have problematic behaviors of their own: They’d be more likely to engage in vandalism and misconduct, for instance, and show more anger and aggression.

Sometimes teens, trying to cope with angry discipline, also often tune out their red-in-the-face parents. “This may explain why so many parents say that no matter how loud they shout, their teenagers don’t listen,” Wang says. (USA Today)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.