Mother-Child Interactions in Depressed Children and Children at High Risk and Low Risk for Future Depression

• NCJ Number: 222820
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 47 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2008 Pages: 574-582
• Author(s): Laura J. Dietz Ph.D.; Boris Birmaher M.D.; Douglas E. Williamson Ph.D.; Jennifer S. Silk Ph.D.; Ronald E. Dahl M.D.; David A. Axelson M.D.; Mary Ehmann M.A.; Neal D. Ryan M.D.
• Date Published: May 2008
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH41712; MH18951
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study compared mother-child interactions and parenting styles in families of children with major depressive disorder (MDD), youths at high risk for depression, and healthy controls.

Abstract

Findings highlighted maternal disengagement and low levels of child positivity in the depressed and high-risk groups as markers of discordant family interactions. Mothers of depressed children were less engaged, less active, and less involved with their children in discussing and resolving problems compared to mothers of healthy controls, and depressed children demonstrated more negativity and less positivity in interactions with their mothers compared to nondepressed control children. The most distressed parent-child interactions with high levels of negative affectivity were observed in depressed children with comorbid externalizing disorders. Maternal involvement and child positive and negative affectivity represented reciprocal processes that reinforced maladapted interaction styles. Exploratory repeated-measures analyses suggest that mother-child problem-solving interactions do not significantly change when children's depression remixed; rather, maternal control was found to significantly decrease over time regardless of whether children's depression remix. A similar trend was found for maternal positivity to decrease over time for both the remitted and nonremitted groups. The decrease over time and maternal control, and the degree to which mothers are actively engaged in problem solving and attempting to influence their children, may be related to natural changes in mother-child interactions across different developmental periods. Mothers may exhibit lower levels of control as their children become older and increasingly autonomous. Similarly, mothers of older children and adolescents may demonstrate lower levels of positive affect compared to mothers of younger children. Decreased maternal control and positivity toward youths who have recovered from depression may reflect mothers' decreased need to monitor children's behavior and decisions, and a decreased need to enhance their mood, or may indicate a less resilient family system that may be at risk for continued youth depression. Data were collected from currently depressed (n=43), high-risk (n=28), and healthy control (n=41) youths and mothers engaged in a standardized videotaped problem-solving interaction. Tables, references