How Parents with Depression Adversely Affect Their Children?

Most of the older population would readily agree that the younger generations are privileged to be born into the modern world. The advancement of the technological sector has provided them with an extensive list of electronic gadgets that has replaced the role of conventional toys and tools. Nowadays, the standard wish list of an adolescent revolves around items such as the latest smartphones, laptops, and other personalized gadgets.

As the prerequisites of a traditional childhood shifts away from its previous standards, other aspects of a child’s upbringing start to change as well. For instance, an increasing number of children have been reported to display erratic behavior. In severe cases, they are known to be beyond the control of their parents. A majority of the reports mainly evidence issues such as the inability to stay focused, unwillingness to obey instructions, and a total lack of self-discipline.

Read More: Childhood Depression

This has led to an unprecedented number of children being placed in special education programs. At the same time, health professionals also noted that prescription for Ritalin has spiked over the last few years. As experts start to take notice of this evolving nature, they generally agree that environmental factors play an influential role in affecting a child’s attitude. Most people are quick to point the finger at known factors such as a broken family or the excessive habit of online gaming. However, recent studies have shown that some of the behavioral traits that a child possesses might be inherited from their parents.

Depressed Parents

Whenever the topic of heredity is mentioned, most people would naturally associate it with physical features that are obvious, such as the color of the hair, the shade of the eyes, height, and even weight. Nonetheless, scientists have also discovered that a child’s behavior might be predetermined by their parents’ personality as well. Arguably, the most pressing issue at hand is how parents with depression can adversely affect their offspring throughout their lifetime. According to the latest statistics, approximately 1 in 5 adults suffers from some form of depression, regardless of whether they have been clinically diagnosed.

When the depressed individual happens to bear the responsibilities of a parent, they are trapped in a vicious cycle with their children. When their offspring gets in trouble, it adds on to their parents’ depression and when a child notices that their parents are depressed, they react adversely to it. In a 2004 report published by the Canadian Pediatric Society, women of childbearing age are at a higher risk of suffering from depression. It further elaborates that mothers who are suffering from depression consequently affects the cognitive and socioemotional development of their children.

Based on its thorough research of all medical literature for the past 15 years, the health experts explained the negative effects that a child might suffer as a result of their parent’s depression status. For infants, they are exposed to a higher risk of experiencing detachment from their parents, displaying unregulated attention span at the same time. On the other hand, preschoolers and toddlers are known to exhibit poor self-control, issues in performing cognitive functions, and also experience difficulties in maintaining social interactions with their peers.

Last but not least, adolescent children are prone to display conduct disorders, anxiety issues, and have problems showing their affection for others. They are also known to exhibit symptoms of ADHD and have problems with learning. As they gradually mature, this group of children is also at a higher risk of developing depression. They are more prone to substance abuse, antisocial activities, and may also suffer from addiction issues.

The Role of Fathers

A separate report published in the Journal of Family Issues examined the effects on a child’s wellbeing if their fathers suffer from depression. Although fathers are not exposed to a similar risk of depression, they are not totally immune to it either. The report used data pulled from 2,139 participating fathers through a 12-month period. At the end of the trial, it became apparent that fathers with depression are least likely to bond with their child, engaging in minimal father-child activities, leading to engagement issues. They display a higher sense of paternal aggressiveness and stress towards their children while the quality with their wives is adversely affected as well.

Given that fathers are at a lower risk of suffering from depression, health professionals from the Saint Louis University set out to determine the positive effects that a father can impose to offset the consequences of maternal depression. Released and published in 2007, the study concluded that establishing a positive father-child relationship can help to reduce the effects of depression to a large extent. While the exact requirements are not mapped out by the study, it does indicate that a child’s healthy relationship with at least one parent can help to ward off the negative effects of depression.

Conclusion

Given that approximately 20% of the global population suffers from various forms of depression, it does paint a worrying picture for parents. Not only should they be worried about their personal health status, they also have to deal with their child’s future development. Although it has been proven that the positive support of at least one parent significantly reduces the consequences of depression, it goes without saying that the best form of prevention is to seek medical attention for depressive parents. Through active treatment and consultation, effective management of depression can be achieved and will ensure that the child is shielded away from its consequences.

References:
http://contributors.healthline.com/family/why-sibling-bullying-associated-anxiety-and-depression-victims
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724169/