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Predictors of Childhood Depressed Mood: A Two-Generational Study

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Abstract

This study tests a model of intergenerational influences on childhood depressed mood that proposes (1) indirect and direct paths from maternal drug use to offspring depressed mood; and (2) pathway from maternal maladaptive personality attributes to offspring depressed mood via adverse child-rearing practices. A cross-sectional two-generational design was employed. Data was obtained utilizing structured questionnaires administered by trained interviewers in the homes of the participants. The sample was comprised of African American and Puerto Rican children (N = 210) and their mothers living in New York City. Using structural equation modeling, the analysis showed that maladaptive personality attributes are associated with adverse maternal child-rearing practices, which, in turn, are related to depressed mood in the offspring. Maternal drug use had a direct effect on offspring depressed mood. Maternal drug use also had an indirect path to offspring depressed mood via maladaptive personality attributes and adverse maternal child-rearing practices. The total effects analysis indicated that adverse maternal child-rearing practices was the strongest predictor of childhood depressed mood. This finding was consistent with the proximal position of the latent construct within the model. Maternal personality attributes and drug use were of lesser importance, but still statistically significant. The results suggest that maternal drug use and maladaptive personality attributes pose risks for the future depressive mood of children. The relative strength of positive maternal involvement with offspring should be the focus of preventive and therapeutic intervention efforts.

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Acknowledgments

This study is supported by NIH research Grants DA05702 and DA12374, and Research Scientist Award DA00244, all to Dr. Judith Brook from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The authors wish to thank Dr. Stephen J. Finch for his insightful review of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 215 Lexington Ave., 15th Floor, New York, NY, USA

    David W. Brook, Jung Yeon Lee & Judith S. Brook

  2. Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Unit, Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa

    Neo K. Morojele

  3. Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Gary Rosenberg

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  1. David W. Brook
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  2. Jung Yeon Lee
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  3. Neo K. Morojele
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  4. Gary Rosenberg
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  5. Judith S. Brook
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Correspondence to Judith S. Brook.

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Brook, D.W., Lee, J.Y., Morojele, N.K. et al. Predictors of Childhood Depressed Mood: A Two-Generational Study. J Child Fam Stud 24, 2786–2794 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0082-6

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