Self-esteem and depression: ten year follow-up of mothers and offspring.
OBJECTIVE
The association between maternal bonding style, offspring low self-esteem and offspring depression status was assessed by maternal depression status.


METHODS
Sixty mothers and 137 offspring were independently assessed over the course of a ten year follow-up study.


METHODS
Assessments included the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS-LA), Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children (K-SADS), the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI).


RESULTS
Among daughters of mothers with a history of depression, maternal affectionless-control was associated with daughter low self-esteem which was associated with daughter depression at ten year follow-up. Among daughters of mothers without a history of depression, maternal affectionless-control was not associated with daughter low self-esteem, which was not associated with daughter depression at ten year follow-up but which was associated with a history of childhood depression. None of these associations were found to be significant among sons.


CONCLUSIONS
As self-esteem was not measured at ten year follow-up, among offspring the stability of self-esteem could not be assessed, nor could the association between adult self-esteem and adult depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical presentation of low self-esteem in girls should be assessed in the context of maternal depression status.
Miller
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. milleri@child.cpmc.columbia.edu
Warner
V
V
Wickramaratne
P
P
Weissman
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index