Interpersonal impairment and the prediction of depressive symptoms in adolescent children of depressed and nondepressed mothers.
OBJECTIVE
Different pathways to youth depression should be explored. Based on an interpersonal impairment perspective on depression, the currently depressed children of depressed mothers were hypothesized to differ in predictors of their depression compared with depressed children of nondepressed mothers. Chronic social difficulties were expected to be more predictive of depressive symptoms in offspring of depressed women, while recent stressful life events were expected to predict depression in offspring of never-depressed women.


METHODS
A community sample of 812 fifteen-year-old children of depressed and nondepressed women was studied in Queensland, Australia, between 1996 and 1999; chronic and episodic stress in the past 6 to 12 months were examined in relation to current depressive disorders.


RESULTS
Depressive states in children of depressed mothers were more associated with chronic interpersonal difficulties than were the depressions of children of nondepressed women, and the latter group had greater increases in depression level associated with episodic stressors than did children of depressed women.


CONCLUSIONS
The results may reflect greater depression reactivity to chronic social difficulties among offspring of depressed mothers. Depressive experiences may have different predictors in subgroups of depressed youths and imply potentially different courses and needs for treatment.
Hammen
Constance
C
Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA. hammen@psych.ucla.edu
Shih
Josephine
J
Altman
Tamara
T
Brennan
Patricia A
PA
D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology