Parental depressive symptoms as a risk factor for child depressive symptoms; testing the social mediators in internationally adopted children

Abstract

Parental depressive symptoms have shown to be associated with offspring depression but much of the research has been focused on maternal depression. The aim of our study was to investigate the extent to which depressive symptoms of both parents associate with offspring depressive symptoms and whether social factors mediate these associations using data from adopted children with no shared genetic background. Data were derived from the Finnish Adoption survey study (a subsample of adopted children aged between 9 and 12 years, n = 548). Parental depressive symptoms were measured using short version of the General Health Questionnaire and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) was used to measure depressive symptoms in adoptees. Paternal depressive symptoms were related to the total CDI (B = 0.33, p = 0.05) and two dimensions of offspring depressive symptoms: negative mood (B = 0.10, p = 0.03) and interpersonal problems (B = 0.06, p = 0.009). These associations remained significant even when adjusted for child's age and gender, age at adoption, type of placement before adoption, continent of birth and adoptive family's SES. No associations were found between maternal and any dimensions of offspring depressive symptoms. No information about the mental health of biological parents was available. We interpret the results as demonstrating that intergenerational transmission of depressive symptoms is not solely related to shared genes. Also, the results highlight the association of paternal depression with offspring depressive symptoms.

Paternal Prenatal, Perinatal and Postpartum Depression: A narrative review

“…Paternal depression effects on adopted children have exemplified the non-genetic environmental effects of paternal postpartum depression. For example, depressive symptoms as measured by the Children's Depression Inventory have been greater in a study on Finnish adopted children of depressed fathers including negative mood and interpersonal problems [37].…”

Mental health and behavioural difficulties in adopted children: A systematic review of post-adoption risk and protective factors

“…Parental mental health. The link between adoptive parent mental health and children's behaviour or mental health was explored in seven studies (Colvert, et al, 2008;Gagnon-Oosterwaal, et al, 2012;Goldberg and Smith, 2013;Hails, et al, 2019;Hornfeck, Bovenschen and Heene, 2019;Liskola, et al, 2018;Smith-McKeever, 2004). One measured general parental mental health (Colvert), three focused on parental depression (Goldberg and Smith; Hails; Liskola), five explored parental stress (Gagnon-Oosterwaal;Miller, et al, 2009;Santos-Nunes, et al, 2018;Smith-McKeever;Smith, et al, 2018) and one assessed parent self-regulation (Hornfeck).…”

Is children’s mental illness “a family affair”?

“…Third, studies in this issue of ECAP consider not only maternal but also paternal mental health and behavior as a possible source of risk. While neither paternal alcohol abuse nor body mass index appears to be related to offspring mental health [13,16], other research has shown that paternal depression predicts behavioral and emotional problems [18][19][20], especially in boys [21]. Moreover, paternal parenting style may also be a key risk factor of children's long-term behavioral and emotional difficulties [22].…”