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The role of family factors in childhood depression

Cerel, Julie
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1375275484

Abstract Details

2001, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
Familial factors impact childhood depression in many ways. No single study has integrated the influence of genetics, family factors, and stressful events to identify the unique contribution of each to the course of childhood depression. In the current study, parent-bereaved, depressed controls and community controls from the Grief Research Study, a longitudinal study of childhood bereavement (in children ages 5-17), were examined. Children were re-categorized as initially depressed (ID: n=245) or not initially depressed (NID: n=318) based on their clinical status at the initial interview. Children and participating parents completed five interviews over 60 months. First, survival analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between genetics, family factors, stressful events and timing of depression in the ID and NID cohorts. Second, differences in family based variables for children who became depressed following the death of a parent (bereaved depressed: BD) were compared to 1) non-bereaved depressed children (D); and 2) bereaved non-depressed (BND) children. Finally, analyses were performed to predict family variable contributions to depression chronicity. Results indicate that BD children experience a dramatically different course of depression than depressed controls. In survival analyses, they were significantly les likely than depressed controls to experience a relapse within 25 and 60 months post-parental death. Additionally, BD children have less severe symptoms, less family history of psychopathology, fewer lifetime stressors, and less impairment on most other measures of family functioning compared to depressed controls. Within the NID group, parental psychopathology (other than mood and anxiety disorders) contributes to depression onset in the children. When compared to BND children, BD children report more: impaired family functioning; perception of family pressure; parental affective disorder prior to the death; and family history of psychopathology in second degree relatives. Chronicity of depression is best predicted by depression at the initial interview. Parental divorce, overall family functioning, family psychopathology, stressful life events, and family socioeconomic status also contribute to increased chronicity. Genetics, life events and family functioning together play a role in childhood depression. These family differences may help clinicians identify those children most at risk for depression following a stressful life event such as parental death.
Mary A. Fristad, Ph. D. (Advisor)
Steven Beck, Ph. D. (Committee Member)
Michael Vasey, Ph. D. (Committee Member)
Joseph Verducci, Ph. D. (Committee Member)
78 p.
Psychology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cerel, J. (2001). The role of family factors in childhood depression [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1375275484

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cerel, Julie. The role of family factors in childhood depression. 2001. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1375275484.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cerel, Julie. "The role of family factors in childhood depression." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2001. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1375275484

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1375275484
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© 2001, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.