How does a mother's depression impact her older children's depression?

ICLS' Dr Rebecca Lacey has been discussing some of her recent research in an episode of a podcast produced by the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 

The focus of the podcast episode is Rebecca's recently published paper, “Testing lifecourse theories characterising associations between maternal depression and offspring depression in emerging adulthood: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children”.

After providing an overview of the research and outlining her method she shares some of the main findings, Rebecca explains that there is a 'sensitive period' when maternal depression might have more of an impact on her child’s mental health, and that this sensitive period can continue through to adolescence.

The study also found that emerging depressive symptoms in adulthood were best explained by an accumulated exposure to maternal depression, and not simply to that experienced as a very young child.

The podcast episode concludes with an interesting discussion around the implications of these findings for CAMH and other health practitioners and professionals and other take-home messages for listeners.

You can listen to the podcast via major podcast apps or via ACAMH's website. 

Links

• UCL Research Department of Epidemiology & Public Health
• ESRC International Centre For Lifecourse Studies in Society and Health