Familial depression and respiratory illness in children.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between parental major depression and respiratory illness in youth.


METHODS
Three-generation family cohort study.


METHODS
Baseline study initiated at the Yale University Depression Research Unit.


METHODS
One hundred sixty-one children and their parents and grandparents.


METHODS
Family history of major depression.


METHODS
We studied the lifetime prevalence of respiratory illness and a range of other physical disorders, including gastrointestinal, neurodevelopmental, and cardiovascular diseases, in offspring of parents with and without major depression. Analyses were also stratified by parental and grandparental major depression status and were adjusted for age, sex, parental prenatal smoking, and parental functional impairment.


RESULTS
Parental major depression is associated with a significantly increased likelihood of respiratory illness in youth (odds ratio, 3.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-8.6). This association persists after adjusting for age, sex, parental prenatal smoking, parental respiratory disease, and parental functional impairment.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that youth of parents with major depression may have heightened vulnerability to respiratory illness. Neither parental respiratory illness, prenatal smoking, nor functional impairment appears to explain this link.
Goodwin
Renee D
RD
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA. rdg66@columbia.edu
Wickramaratne
Priya
P
Nomura
Yoko
Y
Weissman
Myrna M
MM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003710:Demography; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D005192:Family Health; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D011295:Prenatal Care; D015995:Prevalence; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects