title: Gender Moderation of the Intergenerational Transmission and Stability of Depressive Symptoms from Early Adolescence to Early Adulthood.
abstract: Factors that might exacerbate or mitigate the transmission of depressive symptoms from parents to adolescents and the continuity of depressive symptoms into early adulthood are poorly understood. This study tested the hypothesis that the intergenerational transmission and stability of depressive symptoms would be stronger for girls than boys over adolescence and into early adulthood, while considering the possibility that the pattern of gender moderation might vary depending on parent gender and developmental timing. The participants were 667 rural Midwestern adolescents (52 % female) and their parents. Survey data on maternal and paternal depressive symptoms (at youth age 11) and on adolescent and young adult depressive symptoms (at youth ages 11, 18, and 21) were analyzed via multiple group structural equation modeling. Maternal depressive symptoms predicted increased late adolescent depressive symptoms for girls but not boys, and adolescent depressive symptoms were more stable in girls. Paternal depressive symptoms predicted increased late adolescent depressive symptoms for all youth. The findings suggest the need for early, tailored interventions.
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute for Child and Family Studies, Boys Town, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE, 68135, USA. walter.mason@boystown.org.
authors.forename: W Alex
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute for Child and Family Studies, Boys Town, 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, NE, 68135, USA.
authors.forename: Mary B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Chmelka
authors.affiliation: Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, Iowa State University, 2625 N. Loop Drive, Suite 2400, Ames, IA, 50010, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trudeau
authors.affiliation: Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, Iowa State University, 2625 N. Loop Drive, Suite 2400, Ames, IA, 50010, USA.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Spoth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; Depression; Gender; Intergenerational transmission; Stability