Parental Depression from Pregnancy through Childhood Tied to Increased Mental Health Risks in Adulthood: JAMA
USA: Researchers have found in a new study that exposure to parental depressive symptoms—from pregnancy through young adulthood—is associated with higher odds of depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders in adulthood. The timing of exposure differs between mothers and fathers, suggesting distinct underlying mechanisms.
These findings emphasize the need for continuous screening and treatment of mental illness in both parents beyond the prenatal period and throughout childhood. Reducing parental depression may also have broader positive effects on multiple mental health outcomes in the next generation.
The findings are based on a large longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA Network Open by Adelaide Feibel from the Yale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues. The study examined how the timing of parental depression—from pregnancy to 21 years—affects mental health outcomes in adult offspring.
The researchers analyzed data from 5,329 participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a UK birth cohort followed between 1990 and 2020. Parental depressive symptoms were repeatedly measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale from pregnancy through early adulthood. Offspring outcomes assessed included depression at 27 years, anxiety at 25 years, psychotic disorders at 24 years, and alcohol use disorder at 22 years.
The researchers reported the following findings:
- Cumulative exposure to parental depression was associated with higher odds of depression and anxiety in offspring.
- Maternal depression was linked to more than a twofold increase in the risk of both depression and anxiety in adulthood.
- Paternal depression was also significantly associated with offspring depression and anxiety, though the strength of association was comparatively lower than that of maternal depression.
- Only maternal depressive symptoms were associated with an increased risk of psychotic symptoms in offspring.
- There was no significant association was found between parental depression and alcohol use disorder in offspring.
- Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy, particularly around 32 weeks of gestation, were uniquely associated with an increased risk of psychotic symptoms in offspring.
- Maternal depression from late pregnancy through adolescence showed consistent associations with higher risks of depression and anxiety in offspring later in life.
- Paternal depression demonstrated stronger associations beginning in mid-childhood and extending into early adulthood.
- Significant associations between paternal depression and offspring depression and anxiety were observed from mid-childhood through early adulthood.
The findings indicate that maternal and paternal depression may affect offspring's mental health through different pathways and at distinct developmental stages, with pregnancy emerging as a particularly sensitive period for maternal influences, especially regarding psychosis risk.
The authors noted key limitations: a predominantly White cohort limiting generalizability, participant attrition—especially among males and those with higher parental depression—potentially affecting results, and the observational design restricting causal inference. Incomplete genetic data, particularly for fathers, may also have introduced residual confounding.
Overall, the study highlights that lifelong exposure to parental depression is associated with an increased risk of multiple psychiatric disorders in adulthood. The differing timing effects highlight the need for continuous mental health support for both parents, starting from pregnancy and extending throughout child development.
Reference:
Feibel A, Pham H, Glover V, O’Connor TG, O’Donnell KJ. Timing of Exposure to Parental Depression From Pregnancy to Young Adulthood and Mental Health in Adult Offspring. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(4):e264892. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.4892
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