Child and adolescent antecedents of adult mood disorders

Developmental information such as childhood risk factors and childhood precursors of adult mood disorders may have implications for etiologic theory, clinical practice and preventive intervention. From a developmental point of view, mood disorders are of particular interest because of the complex interplay of psychological, social and biological components across time. Identifying different developmental trajectories of mood disorders may yield insights that are relevant to the etiology.

Findings demonstrate a clear association between early mood problems and onset of mood disorders in adult life. Childhood environmental risks are associated with increased risk of depression in adulthood. There is a lack of studies that have tested the role of gene-environment correlation and the role of gene-environment interaction in the development of depression from childhood into adulthood. A promising line of research comes from studies looking into the biological modifications of the developing brain as a result of early adverse experiences, especially alterations in the corticotropin-releasing factor system, which may lead to increased responsiveness to stress.

To better understand the complex interplay between nature and nurture in the development of mood disorders in adults, future studies should ideally consider well measured risk environments in genetic sensitive designs. It is equally important that future studies should also consider both age differences in causal processes and gender differences in effects. Such an approach calls for research in which (molecular) genetic and psychosocial research is well integrated in prospective epidemiological strategies.