title: Early exposure to parents' relationship instability: implications for sexual behavior and depression in adolescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine the effects of the timing of parents' relationship instability on adolescent sexual and mental health.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed whether the timing of parents' relationship instability predicted adolescents' history of sexual partnerships (SP) and major depressive episodes. Multivariate logistic regression analyses controlled for potential mediators related to parenting and the family, including parent knowledge of activities, parent-child relationship quality, number of parents' post-separation relationship transitions, and number of available caregivers. Participants were assessed annually from age 5 through young adulthood as part of a multisite community sample (N = 585).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants who experienced parents' relationship instability before age 5 were more likely to report SP at age 16 (odds ratio [OR](adj) = 1.58) or an episode of major depression during adolescence (OR(adj) = 2.61). Greater parent knowledge at age 12 decreased the odds of SP at age 16, but none of the hypothesized parenting and family variables statistically mediated the association between early instability and SP or major depressive episode.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that experiencing parents' relationship instability in early childhood is associated with sexual behavior and major depression in adolescence, but these associations are not explained by the parenting and family variables included in our analyses. Limitations of the current study and implications for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA. kldonahu@indiana.edu
authors.forename: Kelly L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Donahue
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: D'Onofrio
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lansford
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.forename: Gregory S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Pettit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology