Parental Depression and Child Behaviour Problems: Implications for Behavioural Family Intervention

Abstract

This report explores the role of parental depression in the adjustment of children and discusses its implications for behavioural family intervention. Within a social interactional perspective, depression is conceptualised as a class of behaviours that is under the control of the social environment and at the same time operates as a context for other social agents. The presence of this class of behaviours in parents is postulated to precipitate developmentally determined psychological problems, that is based on a child's age and sex, such that younger boys and adolescent girls would be most at risk. The results of two longitudinal studies are presented showing a significant relation between fluctuations in mothers' depressive symptoms and similar symptoms in their adolescent daughters. Weaker effects are seen between fathers' and sons' depressive levels. The implications for behavioural family therapy are discussed in relation to depression in adolescent girls.