title: Doomed for Disorder? High Incidence of Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Offspring of Depressed and Anxious Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.
abstract: Early recognition of individuals at risk for depressive and anxiety disorders is key in influencing onset and course of these disorders. Parental history is a potent risk factor for the development of these disorders in offspring. However, knowledge about the magnitude of this risk is limited as large-scale longitudinal studies with a follow-up into adulthood are scarce. Those offspring at highest risk may possibly be identified by easy-to-determine parental psychiatric characteristics, family context, and offspring characteristics.
  
  
  
  From 2000-2002, we recruited 523 offspring (age 13-25 years) of 366 patients who had received specialized treatment for depressive and/or anxiety disorder. Offspring DSM-IV mood (major depressive disorder, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder) and anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, and agoraphobia) were assessed at baseline and at 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-year follow-up.
  
  
  
  Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of mood and/or anxiety disorder was 38.0% at age 20 years and 64.7% at age 35 years. Parental early disorder onset (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.00-1.77), having 2 affected parents (HR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.10-2.27), and offspring female gender (HR = 2.34; 95% CI, 1.74-3.15) were independent predictors of offspring mood and/or anxiety disorder. Balanced family functioning (HR = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56-0.96) was found to be protective against offspring risk.
  
  
  
  Offspring of depressed and anxious patients are at very high risk of a mood and/or anxiety disorder themselves. Parental early onset, having 2 affected parents, female gender, and family functioning are important additional markers that can be used in clinical practice to identify those offspring at greatest risk.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation, CC72, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. p.j.havinga@umcg.nl.|University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Petra J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Havinga
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boschloo
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Annelene J P
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bloemen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maaike H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Nauta
authors.affiliation: GGZ Friesland, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sybolt O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, EMGO institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Brenda W J H
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Penninx
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Schoevers
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Catharina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hartman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult