title: Associations between Childhood Parental Mental Health Difficulties and Depressive Symptoms in Late Adulthood: The Influence of Life-Course Socioeconomic, Health and Lifestyle Factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression among older adults (i.e., the 50+) is a major health concern. The objective of this study is to investigate whether growing up with a parent suffering from mental health problems is associated with depressive symptoms in late-adulthood and how this association is influenced by life-course socio-economic, health and lifestyle factors in childhood and late adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used life-history data from the SHARE survey, consisting of 21,127 participants living in 13 European countries. Symptoms of depression were assessed using the EURO-D scale. Parental mental health was assessed by asking respondents to report whether any of their parents had mental health problems during the respondents' childhood. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between parental mental health status and depression. Variables on childhood and late-life socio-economic, health and lifestyle factors were sequentially added to the model to assess the extent to which this association is influenced by life-course circumstances.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals who were exposed during childhood to a parent with mental health problems suffered from depressive symptoms more often in late adulthood than those who were not (OR 1.76, 95% CI: 1.43-2.17). Adjustment for life-course socio-economic, health and lifestyle factors in childhood and late adulthood diminished this association to an OR of 1.54 (95% CI: 1.24-1.90) and OR of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.16-1.82), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate a substantial association between parental mental health problems in childhood and depression in late adulthood and that this association is partly explained by childhood as well as late adulthood socio-economic, health and lifestyle factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Econometrics and Finance, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Viola
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Angelini
authors.affiliation: Statistics Netherlands, The Hague, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klijs
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.|Department of Geriatrics, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nynke
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Econometrics and Finance, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jochen O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Mierau
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008019:Life Style; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors