Relation between parent and child depression: Sex, age, pubertal status, and parent-child conflict as moderators

Abstract

Children of depressed parents are at increased risk for developing depression themselves. Children’s sex, age, pubertal development, and parent-child conflict all have been shown to be related to depressive symptoms in children. The current study examined the relation between parental depression and children’s depressive symptoms, and explored possible moderators including children’s sex, age, pubertal development, and parent-child conflict. Participants were 227 parent-child dyads; of these, 129 parents were in treatment for depression (high risk); the remaining 98 parents were lifetime free of depression (low risk). Linear regression analyses revealed that high-risk children reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than low-risk children. Sex significantly moderated the relation between risk and children’s depressive symptoms, such that high-risk girls reported higher levels of depressive symptoms than low-risk girls. Pubertal development also was a significant moderator, whereas age was not. More advanced pubertal development was associated with higher depressive symptoms in the high-risk group, but not in the low risk group. Finally, the relation between risk and children’s depressive symptoms also was moderated by parent-child conflict; the relation between parent and child depression was stronger in high as compared to low conflict dyads. Thus, children of depressed parents who were female, more advanced pubertally, or had greater parent-child conflict may be at increased risk for depression and therefore should be targeted for intervention