Associations Between Parental Attachment and Course of Depression Between Adolescence and Young Adulthood

A study of the associations of maternal, paternal and peer attachment with the course of depression from adolescence to young adulthood. In the Youth and Mental Health study 242 adolescents completed the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime version for depressive disorders at age 15 and 20. Attachment was measured with the inventory for parent and peer attachment, separately for mother, father, and peers, at age 15. Multinomial logistic regression, indicated insecure attachment relationships with both parents, but not with peers, and were associated with the course of depression. Less secure attachment to mothers was associated with becoming depressed. Less secure attachment to both parents was associated with becoming well and remaining depressed. These results suggest attachment relationships with parents as potential influences on the course of depression and may provide important framework for clinical work with adolescents and young adults.