Depressive symptoms between parent and adolescent survivors: A longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Disaster Mental Health

Background:

• Parent-child depression links are known, but longitudinal dyadic studies post-disaster are rare.
• This study addresses the gap by examining inter-related depression in parent-child dyads after the Wenchuan earthquake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the bidirectional relationship between parent and child depression.
• To identify predictors of depressive symptoms in a cohort of earthquake survivors.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal data from 685 parent-child dyads in the Wenchuan Earthquake Adolescent Health Cohort (WEAHC) Study.
• Depression assessed using validated scales at 12 and 18 months post-earthquake.
• Longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) and cart algorithm analysis.

Main Results:

• Parental depression at 12 months predicted child depression at 18 months, and vice versa (β=0.14 and β=0.12).
• Parental psychomotor retardation and child dysphoria/social isolation/positive affect were key risk indicators.

Conclusions:

• A bidirectional association exists between parent and child depression post-disaster.
• Interventions should assess and address depression in both parents and children for comprehensive care of earthquake survivors.