Children With Early-Onset Disruptive Behavior: Parental Mental Disorders Predict Poor Psychosocial Functioning in Adolescence

[The Importance of Critical Life Events During Childhood for the Mental Health of Adolescents - Results of a 10-Year Catamnesis]

The Importance of Critical Life Events During Childhood for the Mental Health of Adolescents - Results of a 10-Year Catamnesis Abstract. Objective: This longitudinal study examines the influence of critical life events in childhood on mental disorders in childhood and adolescence. It includes parental mental disorders and parenting behavior as mediators. The review is carried out using structural equation models, separately for maternal and paternal mediators. Method: The sample consisted of 249 families examined at six measurement points (pre to FU10); the average age of the children was 4 years, that of the adolescents 10 years later thus 14 years (FU10). Information on critical life events was collected based on a defined list. Results: In the case of mothers, the influence of critical life events on mental disorders in childhood is completely mediated by the mental health of the mother and their dysfunctional parenting. The mediation effect of fathers' mental health is significantly less than that of the mothers (partial mediation), while their parenting behavior showed no mediating influence. Mental disorders in adolescence can be predicted primarily through mental disorders in childhood. There are no significant differences between internalizing and externalizing disorders. Conclusions: Parental mental health and parenting behavior, in particular of the mother, provide concrete starting points for prevention and intervention programs. Future studies should include mothers and fathers alike. Especially the role of fathers should be examined more closely.

Intergenerationale Transmission psychischer Auffälligkeiten unter Berücksichtigung von Geschlechtereffekten

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Kinder psychisch kranker Eltern sind eine Hochrisikogruppe. Eine mütterliche Erkrankung scheint sich stärker negativ auf die Nachkommen auszuwirken als eine väterliche Erkrankung. Ob sich die Auswirkungen auf Mädchen und Jungen unterscheiden, ist unklar. Fragestellung: Ziel der Studie ist die Klärung von Geschlechtereffekten bei der intergenerationalen Transmission psychischer Auffälligkeiten. Methode: Es wurden N = 267 Familien untersucht, indem die Depressions- und Angstsymptome von Müttern und Vätern mit einem latenten Wachstumskurvenmodell über vier Messzeitpunkte (zehn Jahre) modelliert wurden. Die Überprüfung erfolgt mittels Strukturgleichungsmodellen. Ergebnisse: Es wurden Zusammenhänge zwischen elterlichen und kindlichen Auffälligkeiten gefunden. Dabei steht eine väterliche depressive Symptomatik stärker mit jugendlichen externalisierenden Auffälligkeiten in Verbindung als eine mütterliche depressive Symptomatik. Mädchen entwickeln tendenziell mehr als Jungen internalisierende Auffälligkeiten bei psychisch belasteten Eltern. Schlussfolgerung: Zukünftige Studien sollten Mütter und Väter gleichermaßen einbeziehen. Weiterhin sollten verstärkt Transmissionsmechanismen inklusive möglicher Mediatoren mit Berücksichtigung des elterlichen und kindlichen Geschlechtes untersucht werden.

Editorial: Using Parents' Past to Predict Children's Future: Parental History of Mental Disorders as a Predictor of Outcomes in Children With Disruptive Behavior

Numerous studies show that children with conduct problems are at risk for experiencing poor economic, social, and health outcomes as they grow older. Risk for poor outcomes is particularly high for children who first display conduct problems at a young age, before age 10 years. However, even among this high-risk group of children, there is considerable heterogeneity in life outcomes. Approximately one-third of children with early-onset conduct problems will follow a trajectory of life-course persistent antisocial behavior, along with marked functional impairment.¹ The remaining children appear to "grow out of" their problem behavior, and achieve relatively good outcomes.¹ This observation creates a challenge for interventionists: if the presence of conduct problems and their age-of-onset cannot distinguish between children with different prognoses, how does one identify who is most in need of treatment? To answer this question, knowledge is needed about factors that predict differential outcomes among children with early-onset conduct problems. The study by Roetman et al.² in this issue of the Journal examines one such potential factor: parental history of mental disorders.