Emotion regulation strategies in offspring of childhood-onset depressed mothers.
BACKGROUND
This study examines emotion regulation strategies used by children of mothers with childhood-onset depression (COD) and children of never-depressed mothers (NCOD).


METHODS
Participants were 49 COD offspring (ages 4-7) and 37 NCOD offspring (ages 4-7) and their mothers. Emotion regulation strategies were assessed observationally during a laboratory mood induction paradigm.


RESULTS
COD offspring were more likely to focus on the delay object or task than NCOD offspring. Daughters of COD mothers were also more likely to wait passively and less likely to engage in active distraction than daughters of NCOD mothers. These findings were replicated using number of maternal depressive episodes.


CONCLUSIONS
COD offspring, especially daughters, exhibit a more passive style of regulating emotion that may place them at risk for developing psychopathology.
Silk
Jennifer S
JS
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. silkj@msx.upmc.edu
Shaw
Daniel S
DS
Skuban
Emily M
EM
Oland
Alyssa A
AA
Kovacs
Maria
M
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors