The proposed research is designed to identify risk factors associated with specific adverse outcomes in childhood and adolescence. While there are several decades worth of literature examining major depressive disorder in parents as a risk factor for offspring maladjustment, an extensive review of the literature failed to produce any research comparing parents with double depression, pure dysthymic disorder, and major depressive disorder on their children's rates of psychiatric illness and social functioning. The proposed research is designed to address this gap. More specifically, the aims of this project are to compare outpatients with DSM-IV early-onset dysthymic disorder with concurrent major depressive disorder (double depression), DSM-IV early-onset dysthymic disorder without a concurrent major depressive disorder (pure dysthymic disorder), DSM-IV episodic major depressive disorder, and normal controls with no history of Axis I disorder on the following: 1) social functioning; 2) bonding with their children; 3) marital adjustment; 4) rates of psychopathology in their offspring; and 5) social functioning in their offspring. Participants will include 40 subjects in each group. The parent groups will be compared on both interview and self-report measures of social functioning. In addition, the offspring of the four groups will be compared on rates of psychopathology, as determined by a team-consensus method, and on social functioning. Offspring adjustment will be assessed blind to the diagnostic status of the parents. Mood disorders represent a significant public health problem in the United States. Research contributing to our understanding of double depression and pure dysthymic disorder in parents and offspring maladjustment will enable us to identify children at risk and to develop effective intervention programs.
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