Depression and Family Relationships

Abstract

The study was carried out on 25–34-year-old, British-born, married women, living on a south-east London housing estate. The reported early and current family relationships of 50 depressed and 40 non-depressed women were compared. Significantly more of the depressed women reported a poor early relationship with their mothers, but not with their fathers. This finding was confirmed by corresponding low care and high overprotection scores (for mothers only) on the Parental Bonding Instrument. On the basis of what the women and their husbands said, the marriages of the depressed women were rated as much poorer. This was confirmed by the women's and their husbands' scores on a Partner Rating Questionnaire and the Ryle–Scott-Heyes Marital Patterns Questionnaire. The depressed women reported a poorer current relationship with their mothers and a much poorer relationship with their husbands' mothers and fathers. Significantly more depressed women reported four or more poor family relationships.