Timing of parental depression on risk of child depression and poor educational outcomes: a population based routine data cohort study from Born in Wales, UK

Abstract

Background: Maternal depression is a risk factor for depression in children, though the influence of paternal depression has been less well examined. We examined the association between maternal and paternal depression, and the timing of their depression (before or after the child's birth) and outcomes for the child including incidence of child depression and poor educational attainment. Methods: A linked routine data cohort study linking General Practitioner(GP), hospital and education records of young people (aged 0 to 30 years) in Wales. Parental and child diagnosis of depression was identified from GP data. Regression analysis examined the association of maternal and paternal depression with time to diagnosis of depression in the child and odds of attaining educational milestones. Outcomes: In adjusted models, the relative risk of offspring developing depression was 1.22 if the mother had depression before the child was born, 1.55 if the mother had depression after the child was born and 1.73 if she had depression both before and after the child was born (chronic depression), compared to those were there was no maternal depression history. For achieving milestones at end of primary school, odds were 0.92, 0.88 and 0.79 respectively. Association of depression in the child was similar if the male living in the household had depression with risk ratios of 1.24 (before), 1.43 (after) and 1.27 (before and after) for child diagnosed depression and 0.85, 0.79 and 0.74 for achieving age 11 milestones. Interpretation: Children who live with a parent who has depression are more likely to develop depression and not achieve educational milestones, compared to children who live with a parent who has a history of depression (but no active depression in child's lifetime) and compared to those with no depression. This finding suggests that working closely with families where depression (particularly chronic depression) is present in either parent and treating parental depression to remission is likely to have long-term benefits for childrens mental health and educational attainment.

The Intergenerational Transmission of Anxiety Disorders and Major Depression

“…For example, a study of health records from England, UK estimated that 26% of children aged 0-16 had a mother with an anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder diagnosed by a healthcare professional (4). When focusing on offspring aged 0-30, a separate UK study reported a higher prevalence with depression affecting 34.5% of mothers and 18.0% of fathers (5). Understanding the factors that underlie how anxiety and depression are transmitted within families is therefore important and informs prevention and early intervention strategies including public health strategy.…”

Developing and validating a prediction model of adolescent major depressive disorder in the offspring of depressed parents

“…The most common major risk factor for adolescent MDD is depression in a parent. In the United Kingdom, approximately one in five children aged 0–16 years have a mother with a diagnosis of depression (Abel et al., 2019) and approximately one in three when considering offspring aged 0 to 30 years (Brophy, Todd, Rahman, Kennedy, & Rice, 2021). Depression in a parent increases the likelihood of depression in offspring by approximately three‐ to fourfold compared to healthy comparison groups (Rice, Harold, & Thapar, 2002) with this rising to 10‐fold when parental depression is severe (Weissman, 2016).…”