Relation of Chronicity, Severity and Number of Episodes of Maternal Major Depressive Disorder to Children's Psychopathology and Functioning in Grade 12

Abstract

The relations between chronicity, severity, and number of episodes of maternal major depressive disorder (MDD) and child outcomes at grade 12 were examined in a sample of 185 mothers and children. Main effects models indicated that beyond control variables and other MDD characteristics, higher total number of MDD episodes was significantly related to higher child-reported internalizing symptoms and marginally significant in the prediction of greater child-reported self-criticism and lower self-worth. Greater maximum severity of MDD was a significant predictor of lower mother-reported externalizing symptoms. Results indicate the importance of studying the simultaneous effects of multiple characteristics of maternal MDD on a variety of outcomes in adolescents.