Correlates of distress in children at risk for affective disorder: exploring predictors in the offspring of depressed and nondepressed mothers.
BACKGROUND
Efforts to understand the correlates of psychological distress in children frequently examine possible correlates in samples of children who are selected for high levels of distress. The propose of this study was to compare distress correlates in a sample with depressed mothers, and thus at high-risk for distress, to a low-risk sample.


METHODS
Examining data from part of a larger project, the association of children's depressive symptoms and internalizing and externalizing problems to maternal depression level, life stress, verbal ability, and the experience of a traumatic event were examined in a series of regression equations.


RESULTS
Results indicated that children's depressive symptoms, rather than internalizing and externalizing problems, tended to be most consistently related to maternal variables, and also suggested that any experience of maternal depressive symptoms was associated with child problems. It was also found that child depressive symptoms were correlated with life events, but only for nondepressed mothers, and that at-risk children with higher levels of verbal ability were significantly less likely to report experiencing depressive symptoms and internalizing problems than were those with lower levels of verbal ability.


CONCLUSIONS
Because these data are preliminary, further research examining a broader array of variables is important.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest the need for different models of these processes in different populations of children.
Malcarne
V L
VL
Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92120, USA.
Hamilton
N A
NA
Ingram
R E
RE
Taylor
L
L
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D019263:Dysthymic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors