Depression in the Young, Parental Depression and Parenting Stress

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between depression in children and adolescents, parental depression and parenting stress. Methods: Fifty-three depressed youths, 9-16 years, were matched for age and gender and compared with S3 non-depressed controls. Depression was diagnosed using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised (DICA-R). Parents completed questionnaires on depression and parenting stress. Results: Parents of depressed children reported higher parenting stress and were more likely to perceive their children as ‘difficult’. Univariate analysis demonstrated a relationship between children's depression and maternal depression but not with paternal depression. This became non-significant with multivariate analysis, implying that maternal depressive symptoms may have been due to caring for a depressed, thus ‘difficult’ child. Conclusions: Depressed youth were more likely to be perceived by mothers as ‘difficult’ and caused them significant parenting stress. The same phenomenon did not occur among the fathers. Clinicians need to consider the presence of depression among ‘difficult’ children and look for early depression in mothers of depressed youth.