The aggregation of problems in adult offspring of depressed parents has been widely documented. In this project, the focus is on the early manifestations of problems and the developmental course of problems in the offspring of depressed parents. As a part of a longitudinal study, this analysis follows investigation of still earlier childhood manifestations of behavioral disorders (MH- 02372). The families who have been studied in the two earlier assessment periods are the participants. They were seen initially when two siblings in each family were 2 years and 5 to 8 years of age; they were followed 3 years later, and they are now returning 3 years later for a third time. Psychiatric status of mother and father is reevaluated based on standard psychiatric interviews, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Interval (SADS- I), the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) and the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE). Psychiatric status of each child is also reevaluated based on a standard psychiatric interview, the Diagnostic Clinical Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA-R). Further to assess the child, mother and father are interviewed using the DICA-P(R). Medical and biological assessments of the children are anticipated.
