Psychopathology in the adolescent and young adult offspring of a community sample of mothers and fathers with major depression.
BACKGROUND
There is a large literature indicating that the offspring of mothers with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are at increased risk for depression. However, much less is known about the effects of paternal MDD on offspring psychopathology.


METHODS
We addressed this issue using a large community sample of parents and their adolescent and young adult offspring (n = 775). Parents and offspring were independently assessed with semi-structured diagnostic interviews. Offspring were interviewed three times from mid-adolescence to age 24 years.


RESULTS
Maternal MDD was significantly associated with offspring MDD. Paternal MDD was also significantly associated with MDD in offspring, but only among offspring with depressive episodes of moderate or greater severity. These effects persisted after controlling for socio-economic status, family intactness, and non-mood disorders in both parents. Rates of MDD were particularly elevated in offspring of mothers and fathers with early-onset MDD, and offspring of fathers with recurrent MDD. The magnitude of the associations between MDD in parents and offspring was generally in the small-to-medium range.


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm previous findings of elevated risk of MDD in the offspring of depressed mothers. In addition, the results suggest that MDD in fathers is associated with increased risk of depression in offspring, but that it is limited to MDD episodes in offspring of moderate or greater severity.
Klein
Daniel N
DN
Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, USA. daniel.klein@stonybrook.edu
Lewinsohn
Peter M
PM
Rohde
Paul
P
Seeley
John R
JR
Olino
Thomas M
TM
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index