1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«In the present study, [the authors tested] the extent to which exposure to maternal depression during early childhood carries risk for adolescent symptoms based on DSM criteria for major depression (MD), generalized anxiety (GA), and social phobia (SP); and […] whether associations are mediated by dysfunctional relationships with peers […] and/or parents […]. [They] also tested whether sex played a role in the differential vulnerability to maternal depression, given previous inconsistent sex differences findings.» (p. 917)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Participants were part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (1998-2011), a sample of 2,120 families with a 5-month-old infant born in 1997 to 1998. The sample was drawn from the Quebec Master Birth registry. All mothers giving birth after 24 weeks’ gestation and speaking French or English were eligible.» (p. 917)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

Results show «that children exposed to elevated symptoms of maternal depression during the first 5 years of life had higher rates of major depression, generalized anxiety, and social phobia symptoms in adolescence. When comparing the role of three potential relational mediators during middle childhood—negative parenting, poor friendship quality, and being victimized by one’s peers—we found only victimization by peers to partially or completely explain the association between maternal depression and adolescent internalizing symptomatology, for both males and females.» «The results are also in line with previous studies showing peer victimization in childhood to be associated with adolescent and adult suicidal behaviors, and with adult depression, as well as maternal depression to be associated with lower peer relationship quality.» (p. 921)