Maternal depression and the intergenerational transmission of religion

This study tests the hypothesis that maternal depression (major depressive disorder; MDD) decreases rates of the intergenerational transmission of religiosity from mother to offspring and attenuates the beneficial qualities of religiosity in offspring. Depression was assessed using semistructured clinical interviews; religiosity was assessed based upon the personal importance of religion, frequency of attendance at religious services, and religious denomination. Results suggest that (1) maternal depression attenuates the intergenerational transmission of religion; (2) in the presence of maternal depression, offspring were more likely to have MDD at 10-year follow-up when mother-offspring were concordant on religious importance; and (3) in the absence of maternal depression, offspring were less likely to have MDD at 10-year follow-up when mother-offspring were concordant on attendance. Thus, in the presence of maternal depression, transmission of religious attendance is no longer associated with decreased likelihood of offspring MDD, whereas transmission of religious importance is associated with increased likelihood of offspring depression.