Maternal depression, paternal psychopathology, and adolescent diagnostic outcomes

J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002 Oct;70(5):1075-85. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.70.5.1075.

Abstract

The authors examined the relationship between maternal depression, paternal psychopathology, and adolescent diagnostic outcomes in a community sample of 522 Australian families. They also examined whether chronic family stress, father's expressed emotion, and parents' marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between parental psychopathology and adolescent outcomes. Mother's education, child's gender, and family income were covaried in all analyses. Results revealed that maternal depression and paternal depression had an additive effect on youth externalizing disorders. In addition, maternal depression interacted with both paternal depression and paternal substance abuse in predicting youth depression but not youth nondepressive disorders. Chronic family stress and father's expressed emotion appeared to mediate the relationship between parental psychopathology and youth depression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child of Impaired Parents / psychology*
  • Comorbidity
  • Depressive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology*
  • Expressed Emotion
  • Fathers / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / diagnosis
  • Mental Disorders / psychology*
  • Mothers / psychology*
  • Personality Development*
  • Risk Factors
  • Stress, Psychological / complications
  • Substance-Related Disorders / diagnosis
  • Substance-Related Disorders / psychology*