Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2025
Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers
Published on: March 14, 2018
Parental psychopathology before and after the child's diagnosis of a mental disorder: a population-based matched
Hannah Chatwin1, Katrine Holde1, Theresa Wimberley1,2
1National Centre for Register-Based Research (NCRR), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Insights
Parents of children with mental disorders face increased risks of their own psychopathology and medication use, particularly around the time of the child's diagnosis. This highlights the need for integrated family mental health support.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Parental psychopathology in families with mentally disordered children requires further investigation.
- Understanding the temporal relationship between child and parental mental health is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the risk of mental disorders and psychotropic medication use in parents of children with mental disorders.
- To examine temporal associations between child and parental psychopathology.
Main Methods:
- Population-based matched cohort study using Danish register data (1999-2014).
- Included children diagnosed with specific mental disorders (e.g., ADHD, ASD, anxiety, mood disorders) and matched controls.
- Assessed parental mental disorders and psychotropic medication use 4 years before and after child diagnosis.
Main Results:
- Parents of children with mental disorders showed significantly higher risks of mental disorders and psychotropic medication use.
- Increased odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and antidepressant/antipsychotic prescriptions were observed.
- Parental psychopathology and medication use peaked in the years immediately preceding and following the child's diagnosis.
Conclusions:
- Clear temporal links exist between child and parental psychopathology.
- Parental mental health challenges often intensify around the time of a child's mental disorder diagnosis.
Background:
More research is needed to understand psychopathology among parents of children with mental disorders in the years before and after the child is diagnosed. Here, we estimated the risk of mental disorders and psychotropic medication use in parents of children with versus without mental disorders and the temporal associations between child and parental psychopathology.
Methods:
We conducted a population-based matched cohort study using Danish register data. The study population included child-parent pairs of all children diagnosed with a mental disorder of interest (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, anxiety disorder, mood disorder, eating disorder, substance use disorder, and schizophrenia spectrum disorder) by 18 years of age during the period 1999-2014 and a matched reference population. Each child with a diagnosis was matched to 10 children of the same sex and birth year who had not been diagnosed with the mental disorder of interest. For all parents, we estimated the yearly incidence proportion of parental mental disorders and prescriptions for psychotropic medications 4 years before and after the child's diagnosis.
Results:
We observed a substantially increased risk of mental disorders and psychotropic medication use among parents of children with a mental disorder, compared to the reference population. On average, parents of children with a diagnosis had twice the odds of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and prescriptions for anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. The incidence of mood and anxiety disorders peaked in the 1-2 years before and after the child's diagnosis. The incidence of parental prescriptions for psychotropic medications (particularly anti-psychotics) peaked in the year the child was diagnosed and in the 3 years before the child's diagnosis for anti-depressants and sleep medications.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates clear temporal associations between child and parental psychopathology, with parental psychopathology peaking in the years immediately before and after the child's diagnosis.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
01:30Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and...
01:30Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
01:27Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
01:28Conduct Disorder