Children whose mother suffer baby blues FOUR times as likely to suffer depression
 

Children of mothers who suffer postnatal depression are nearly four times as likely to suffer from depression themselves compared to their peers, researchers say.

A study from the University of Reading revealed that by the age of 16, 41.5 per cent of the children whose mothers had suffered with the condition had also experienced an episode of depression.

This compared to 12.5 per cent of their peers.
Professor Lynne Murray looked at 100 first-time mothers over 16 years. Of these, 58 experienced postpartum depression.

The mothers and their children were evaluated at 18 months, and aged 5, 8, 13 and 16.

The research found that children whose attachment to their mothers was insecure during infancy were much more likely to go on to suffer depression.

Professor Murray said: 'The substantially raised risk for depression among offspring of postnatally depressed mothers underlines the importance of screening for PND and of delivering early interventions.'


The study also found that marital conflict and further maternal depression, extending beyond the postnatal period were significantly associated with offspring lifetime depression.

In the sample, boys of depressed mothers were more likely than girls to be insecure and less resilient, possibly reflecting a more general vulnerability to postnatal depression (PND).

Professor Murray said: 'At least one-third of people experience a major depressive episode during their lifetime, and for many individuals the experience is persistent.
'Understanding the development of depression is, therefore, an important public health issue.

'This is especially true when first onset occurs in the school-age years, as such episodes are associated with particularly poor outcome in terms of severity, chronicity, and recurrence.'

She added that mothers suffering from PND should be offered support in caring for their child to promote a secure attachment between mother and child.

Postnatal depression affects one in 10 mothers in the UK. Causes are thought to include the huge change in hormones that occurs following birth, exhaustion, lack of support and genetic vulnerability.

Boys of depressed mothers were more likely to be insecure.

Mothers with PND may feel low for weeks on end and feel unable to cope. They may feel a lack of motivation or interest in their baby and may eat less.

About half of women with PND have thoughts about harming themselves or their baby but it is very rare for either mother or baby to be harmed.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...ession-16.html

No surprise here since there are many studies over the years that confirm this. Depressed and negatively emotional parents depress their kids and impede their development.

"Boys of depressed mothers were more likely to be insecure."

That's because a lot of the times the mother is depressed is over a bad or non-existent relationship with the father of the boy. The boy is stuck between two parents more often since kids stay with the mother most often. Boys also become the stand-in for the father when it comes to the mothers anger for the guy who frustrates them

I'm not a boy. But. My mum had PND [and possibly PTSD from it all]. I wish she'd had support. But she had nothing. Plus she had her baby separated from her for too long.

Newsflash: Kids with depressed parents are more likely to be depressed themselves.

... Oh, wait. This isn't 1960 and this isn't brand new information.

But why? Is it the mother's genetics that make the child prone to depression, or is the effect that the depression has on her parenting. Or maybe it's something in the environment that they share like the absence of the guy, exposure to toxins, or poverty? Some combination? The line "correlation does not equal causation" should be repeated ad nauseum, and before you start something like this, you do need to establish causation.