Family factors in adolescent unipolar depression

This paper reviews the current literature on the contribution of family factors to unipolar depression among adolescents. Research which examined the following factors was reviewed and evaluated: genetic transmission, parental depression, parental death, quality of attachment and family interaction. Studies had to meet the following criteria to be included: publication must have been between the years 1985 and 1992; the evaluation had to be empirical with some form of control; a dependent measure of family characteristics or functioning; the adolescent had to be between the ages of 13 to 19; and the adolescent had to meet the recognizable criteria for unipolar depression. Recent literature suggests that adolescents suffering from depression share a number of risk factors: a family history of affective disorder, inept or inadequate parenting, abrasive interactions within the family and insecure attachments. At this time, there is no evidence that these aversive interactions predate the disorder. Weaknesses in the current literature are identified and strategies for improving future research are proposed.