title: Offspring of parents with recurrent depression: which features of parent depression index risk for offspring psychopathology?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parental depression is associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorder in offspring, although outcomes vary. At present relatively little is known about how differences in episode timing, severity, and course of recurrent depression relate to risk in children. The aim of this study was to consider the offspring of parents with recurrent depression and examine whether a recent episode of parental depression indexes risk for offspring psychopathology over and above these other parental depression features.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and thirty seven recurrently depressed parents and their offspring (aged 9-17) were interviewed as part of an ongoing study, the 'Early Prediction of Adolescent Depression Study'. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment was used to assess two child outcomes; presence of a DSM-IV psychiatric disorder and number of DSM-IV child-rated depression symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children whose parents had experienced a recent episode of depression reported significantly more depression symptoms, and odds of child psychiatric disorder were doubled relative to children whose parents had not experienced a recent episode of depression. Past severity of parental depression was also significantly associated with child depression symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Statistical analyses preclude causal conclusions pertaining to parental depression influences on offspring psychopathology; several features of parental depression were recalled retrospectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that particular features of parental depression, specifically past depression severity and presence of a recent episode, may be important indicators of risk for child psychiatric disorder and depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: marsbs1@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Becky
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mars
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: collishaws@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Collishaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: SmithDJ3@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: thaparAK@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thapar
authors.affiliation: Cwm Taf Health Board and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: potterr@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Potter
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: sellersr1@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sellers
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology, University of Leicester, UK. Electronic address: gth9@leicester.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gordon T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Harold
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: craddockn@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Craddock
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, UK. Electronic address: F.rice@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, UK. Electronic address: thapar@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thapar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies