Depressive symptoms in fathers and their adolescent offspring: Findings from a multi-informant two-wave study

Abstract

Background: The potential adverse effects of paternal depression on offspring mental health have received relatively little attention compared to maternal depression. Few studies have examined the association between paternal and offspring depressive symptoms, especially in adolescence. Of the limited studies available, there is a lack of studies utilizing multi-informant data on adolescent depressive symptoms. The main aim of the current study was to examine the association between paternal and offspring depressive symptoms in middle and late adolescence, using parent reports and self-reports on adolescent depressive symptoms. Method: Data were taken from two data waves of the prospective community-based study Tracking Opportunities and Problems in Childhood and Adolescence (the TOPP study). The sample comprised Norwegian adolescents aged 14-15 at wave 1 (N = 454) and 16-17 at wave 2 (N = 371), and their biological parents. Adolescent depressive symptoms were measured by the child and the parent version of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire. Parent depressive symptoms were measured by the depression subscale from the self-report inventory Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were examined using multiple regression analyses, adjusting for maternal depressive symptoms and other relevant confounding variables. All analyses were run separately for each informants report on adolescent depressive symptoms. Results: Adolescents self-reports revealed considerably higher levels of depressive symptoms than parent reports on adolescent depressive symptoms. Significant associations between paternal and adolescent depressive symptoms were found cross-sectionally at both data waves and longitudinally only when fathers reported on adolescent depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Findings from the current study revealed that the levels of adolescent depressive symptoms, and the strength of the associations between paternal and adolescent depressive symptoms varied depending on which informant was reporting on adolescent depressive symptoms. These findings have important scientific implications, suggesting that future research should use multi-informant data when assessing adolescent depressive symptoms and the effects of paternal depression on adolescent offspring.