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Children’s Depressive Symptoms in Relation to EEG Frontal Asymmetry and Maternal Depression

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Abstract

This study examined the relations of school-age children’s depressive symptoms, frontal EEG asymmetry, and maternal history of childhood-onset depression (COD). Participants were 73 children, 43 of whom had mothers with COD. Children’s EEG was recorded at baseline and while watching happy and sad film clips. Depressive symptoms were measured using parent-report of Children’s Depression Inventory. The key findings are the interaction effects between baseline and film frontal EEG asymmetry on child depressive symptoms. Specifically, relative right frontal EEG asymmetry while watching happy or sad film clip was associated with elevated depressive symptoms for children who also exhibited right frontal EEG asymmetry at baseline. Results suggest that right frontal EEG asymmetry that is consistent across situations may be an marker of depression-prone children.

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Notes

  1. We conducted the same analysis with the 6-year-olds removed and results were similar. Although the effect of maternal education was no longer significant, the interaction between baseline and film EEG frontal asymmetry remained for both happy (B = 26.33, SE = 12.02, t = 2.19, p < 0.05) and sad (B = 26.84, SE = 13.09, t = 2.05, p < 0.05) film conditions.

  2. The same analyses were also conducted with child-report on CDI as the outcome. Results were replicated for happy film condition. Specifically, an interaction effect between baseline and film EEG frontal asymmetry was found, B = 23.72, SE = 11.50, t = 2.06, p < 0.05. However, this interaction effect was only marginally significant for the sad film condition. B = 23.33, SE = 12.67, t = 1.84, p = 0.07.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by an NIMH Program Project grant (P01 MH056193) to Maria Kovacs (Program Project PI), Nathan A. Fox (Study 2 PI) and Jeffrey F. Cohn (Study 2 Co-PI). We are grateful to the families who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Science, The Ohio State University, 171B Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Xin Feng

  2. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Erika E. Forbes, Maria Kovacs, Charles J. George & Jeffrey F. Cohn

  3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Nestor L. Lopez-Duran

  4. University of Maryland, College Park, MA, USA

    Nathan A. Fox

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  1. Xin Feng
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  2. Erika E. Forbes
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Correspondence to Xin Feng.

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Feng, X., Forbes, E.E., Kovacs, M. et al. Children’s Depressive Symptoms in Relation to EEG Frontal Asymmetry and Maternal Depression. J Abnorm Child Psychol 40, 265–276 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9564-9

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