Influence of Parental and Grandparental Major Depressive Disorder on Behavior Problems in Early Childhood: A Three-Generation Study
Open accessAbstract
Objective This aim of this study was to examine the influence of grandparental (G1) and parental (G2) major depressive disorder (MDD) and other forms of psychopathology on behavior problems in very young offspring (G3). Method Oregon Adolescent Depression Project (OADP) participants who had children over a 3-year period were invited to participate in a study of infant and child development. We attempted to collect diagnostic history from the original OADP (G2) participants, their coparents, the parents of the original OADP participants (G1), and the parents of the coparents. Child (G3) outcomes at 24 months of age were based on parent reports of behavior problems. Results Univariate correlations indicated that G1 and G2 familial loadings for MDD were associated with higher levels of G3 internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between G1 and G2 MDD on G3 internalizing (but not externalizing) behavior problems. A higher familial loading for MDD in either the parental or grandparental generation was associated with elevated grandchild internalizing problems, but higher loadings for MDD in both generations did not convey additional risk. Conclusions Parental MDD and grandparental MDD are both associated with elevated levels of internalizing problems in young grandchildren, but MDD in both the G1 and G2 generations does not confer additional risk. One important implication is that MDD in the grandparental generation is associated with increased risk to grandchildren even in the absence of parental MDD. Future studies should examine the mechanisms through which grandparental psychopathology influences behavior problems in grandchildren.
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There is some preliminary evidence that exposures occurring in earlier generations, such as grandparents, can influence an offspring's risk.
“There is also some preliminary evidence that exposures occurring even in earlier generations (e.g., grandparents) can also influence an offspring’s risk [63].”
Increasing evidence suggests that stress and trauma experienced by one generation can be passed down and influence the health of subsequent generations.
“Increasing evidence suggests the potential that stress and trauma experienced by one generation can be passed down and influence the health of the subsequent generation/s.”
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Early Preschool Predictors of Preadolescent Internalizing and Externalizing DSM-IV Diagnoses
MESMAN, J., & KOOT, H. M. (2001) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00004583-200109000-00011 · Cited by 265 · see citing works
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Raised by depressed parents: is it an environmental risk?
Natsuaki, M. N., Shaw, D. S., Neiderhiser, J. M., Ganiban, J. M., Harold, G. T., Reiss, D., & Leve, L. D. (2014) · Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10567-014-0169-z · Cited by 134 · see citing works
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Self-citationEpigenetic programming by early-life stress
Alyamani, R. A. S., & Murgatroyd, C. (2018) · Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science · doi:10.1016/bs.pmbts.2018.01.004 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
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“, grandparents) can also influence an offspring’s risk [63].”
BackgroundWilde, A., Chan, H.-N., Rahman, B., Meiser, B., Mitchell, P. B., Schofield, P. R., & Green, M. J. (2014) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.01.014 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Walker, V. R., Boyles, A. L., Pelch, K. E., Holmgren, S. D., Shapiro, A. J., Blystone, C. R., Devito, M. J., Newbold, R. R., Blain, R., Hartman, P., et al. (2018) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2017.12.032 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
- Authors
- OLINO, T. M., PETTIT, J. W., KLEIN, D. N., ALLEN, N. B., SEELEY, J. R., & LEWINSOHN, P. M.
- Affiliations
- Oregon Research Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- OLINO, THOMAS M.
- Venue
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-01
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 53-60
- ISSN
- 0890-8567 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2742355
- OpenAlex
- W2120161350
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 3.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health research (R01 MH-56604 (P.M.L.), R01 MH-66023 (D.N.K.), R01 MH-75744 (J.W.P.).)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Family Support in Illness
- Keywords
- major depressive disorder, parental depression, early childhood behavior problems, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, intergenerational transmission of psychopathology, family history of depression
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders, Child, Child Behavior Disorders, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Family, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Interview, Psychological, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Oregon, Parents, Personality Assessment, Psychopathology, Regression Analysis, Risk Factors, Comorbidity, Child of Impaired Parents, Substance-Related Disorders
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