Parental use of antidepressant medication and family type in the risk for incident psychiatric morbidity in offspring

J Epidemiol Community Health. 2013 Aug;67(8):703-5. doi: 10.1136/jech-2012-201718. Epub 2013 May 25.

Abstract

Background: Maternal depression increases the risk for psychiatric morbidity in offspring but the effects of paternal depression and family type are less studied.

Methods: We assessed the effects of parental antidepressant use on offspring psychiatric morbidity in various family settings.

Results: Our register-based study followed 132637 children for incident psychiatric morbidity in 1998-2003. The highest risk for psychiatric morbidity was in children living with both parents on antidepressants or with a lone parent on antidepressants. We found little variation in the effects according to parental or offspring gender.

Conclusions: Parental depression as measured by antidepressant use, and single parenthood pose a risk for psychiatric morbidity in offspring.

Keywords: EPIDEMIOLOGY; MATERNAL & CHILD CG; MENTAL HEALTH.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Child
  • Child of Impaired Parents / psychology*
  • Child of Impaired Parents / statistics & numerical data
  • Depression / diagnosis
  • Depression / drug therapy*
  • Depression / epidemiology
  • Family / psychology*
  • Female
  • Finland / epidemiology
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Marital Status / statistics & numerical data
  • Morbidity
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Poisson Distribution
  • Risk Factors
  • Sex Factors

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents