Links Between Parent Depression and Child Symptoms
Author Information
Author(s): Lewis Gemma, Rice Frances, Harold Gordon T., Collishaw Stephan, Thapar Anita
Primary Institution: Cardiff University
Hypothesis
Maternal depression symptoms have direct environmental links to child depression/anxiety symptoms, independent of inherited effects and shared adversity.
Conclusion
The study found that maternal depression symptoms are linked to child depression and anxiety symptoms through environmental processes, particularly affecting girls.
Supporting Evidence
- Significant associations were found between maternal and child symptoms for both genetically related and unrelated pairs.
- Environmental links were stronger for girls than boys.
- Associations remained significant after controlling for shared adversity factors.
Takeaway
If a mom is feeling sad, it can make her kids feel sad too, especially if they are girls.
Methodology
The study used questionnaire data from 852 families with children conceived by assisted reproduction, assessing parental and child depression symptoms and controlling for shared adversity.
Potential Biases
Attrition in the longitudinal study may limit the power of some analyses, although it did not appear to bias results.
Limitations
The study may not account for all shared adversities and relied on self-report measures, which can introduce bias.
Participant Demographics
Children aged 4 to 13 years, with a near-equal distribution of boys and girls, and mothers aged 27 to 61 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < .001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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