Sexual intercourse among adolescent daughters of mothers with depressive symptoms from minority families.
This study investigated the association between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent engagement in sexual intercourse in a non-clinical sample of mothers and their adolescent daughters from minority families. The current study explores ways in which maternal depression, family factors, and adolescent sex interact. Data were from a cross-sectional study of 176 mother-daughter dyads, including a subset of mothers with HIV. Logistic regression analyses revealed that among mothers who were not current marijuana users, more maternal depressive symptoms was associated with daughters' engagement in sexual intercourse. Neither parent-child conflict nor parental involvement significantly mediated the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent sex. This study provides the first empirical evidence that non-clinical depressive symptoms in mothers are associated with adolescent engagement in sexual intercourse.
The University of Akron, School of Social Work, Akron, OH, 44325-8001, USA. Electronic address: jsang@uakron.edu.
Jina
J
Sang
University of Southern California, School of Social Work, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0411, USA. Electronic address: jcederba@usc.edu.
Julie A
JA
Cederbaum
University of Southern California, School of Social Work, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0411, USA. Electronic address: hurlburt@usc.edu.
Michael S
MS
Hurlburt
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003075:Coitus / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009679:Nuclear Family; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
Adolescent sex; Female adolescents; Maternal depression; Parent-child conflict; Parental involvement