Research Article

Risk of emotional disorder in offspring of depressed parents: gender differences in the effect of a second emotionally affected parent

  1. Karlien M.C. Landman-Peeters M.A.1,*,
  2. Johan Ormel Ph.D.1,
  3. Eric L.P. Van Sonderen Ph.D.2,
  4. Johan A. Den Boer Ph.D.1,
  5. Ruud B. Minderaa Ph.D.1,
  6. Catharina A . Hartman Ph.D.1

Article first published online: 16 OCT 2007

DOI: 10.1002/da.20350

Issue

Depression and Anxiety

Depression and Anxiety

Volume 25, Issue 8, pages 653–660, August 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Landman-Peeters, K. M.C., Ormel, J., Van Sonderen, E. L.P., Den Boer, J. A., Minderaa, R. B. and Hartman, C. A. .. (2008), Risk of emotional disorder in offspring of depressed parents: gender differences in the effect of a second emotionally affected parent. Depress. Anxiety, 25: 653–660. doi: 10.1002/da.20350

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  2. 2

    Northern Centre for Healthcare research (NCH)/Department of Health Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

*Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 25 AUG 2008
  2. Article first published online: 16 OCT 2007
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 31 JAN 2007
  4. Manuscript Revised: 9 JAN 2007
  5. Manuscript Received: 23 FEB 2006

Funded by

  • Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO-MW)

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Keywords:

  • anxiety disorders;
  • depressive disorders;
  • gender;
  • offspring of impaired parents;
  • risk

Abstract

In offspring of depressed parents a second parent with emotional problems is likely to increase risk of emotional disorder. This effect may however differ between sons and daughters and between offspring of depressed fathers and offspring of depressed mothers. In adolescent and young-adult offspring of parents with major depressive disorder, this study examined the effects of a second affected parent, offspring gender, gender of the depressed parent and their interactions on risk of depression and anxiety disorder. We found that daughters had a higher risk of depression and anxiety than sons and that offspring of depressed mothers had a higher risk of anxiety than offspring of depressed fathers. In addition to these main effects, we found an interaction between parent and offspring gender inasmuch that sons of depressed fathers had the lowest risk of depression and anxiety relative to the other groups. A second affected parent tended to increase risk of depression and significantly increased risk of anxiety. However, this effect of a second affected parent on offspring anxiety was most prominent in daughters when the second affected parent was the father, whereas risk in sons did not increase if the father was affected as well. Our results indicate that paternal and maternal depression similarly and additively increase daughters' risk of emotional disorder, but that sons' risk only increases with maternal depression. Intergenerational transmission of emotional disorder seems strongest when the female gender is involved, either in the form of a daughter or a depressed mother. Depression and Anxiety 0:1–8, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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