Children of depressed parents are at significantly increased risk for depression and other forms of psychopathology. Three psychosocial mechanisms are associated with increased risk for psychopathology in these children---stressful parent-child interactions, the ways that children respond to and cope with these stressful interactions, and children's negative cognitions. Specifically, parenting behavior that is characterized by intrusiveness and withdrawal and children's negative attributional style are associated with increased problems in children. In contrast, children's use of secondary control coping (cognitive restructuring, acceptance, distraction) is related to lower problems. Based on these findings, we have established the feasibility and acceptability of a preventive intervention for depressed parents and their families. This study will examine in a randomized clinical trial the efficacy of a family-based cognitive behavioral intervention to prevent the adverse effects of parental depression on offspring. Depressed parents, their spouses, and their children (ages 9 to 16-years-old) will be randomly assigned to a multifamily cognitive behavioral group intervention or to a self-study control condition. The 12 session (8 acute and 4 follow-up) family cognitive behavioral intervention will include coping skills training for children and parenting skills training for depressed parents and their spouses. Families in the control condition will receive only written educational materials about depression and its effects on families. Measures administered at pre-, post- and 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-ups will include assessment of mood disorders and other psychiatric disorders, internalizing and externalizing problems in children. Possible mediators of the effects of the intervention will also be evaluated, including parental depressive symptoms and episodes of depression, parental intrusiveness and withdrawal, and children's coping and stress responses. Our goal is to determine the efficacy of this intervention that is unique in its focus on helping children of depressed parents to cope with stressful interactions with their parents, and to improve the parenting skills of depressed parents.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH069928-04
Application #
7218571
Study Section
Psychosocial Development, Risk and Prevention Study Section (PDRP)
Program Officer
Avenevoli, Shelli A
Project Start
2004-07-01
Project End
2009-04-30
Budget Start
2007-05-01
Budget End
2008-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$290,891
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Vermont & St Agric College
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
066811191
City
Burlington
State
VT
Country
United States
Zip Code
05405
Bettis, Alexandra H; Forehand, Rex; Sterba, Sonya K et al. (2018) Anxiety and Depression in Children of Depressed Parents: Dynamics of Change in a Preventive Intervention. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 47:581-594
Breslend, Nicole Lafko; Parent, Justin; Forehand, Rex et al. (2017) Children of parents with a history of depression: The impact of a preventive intervention on youth social problems through reductions in internalizing problems. Dev Psychopathol :1-13
Gruhn, Meredith A; Dunbar, Jennifer P; Watson, Kelly H et al. (2016) Testing specificity among parents' depressive symptoms, parenting, and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms. J Fam Psychol 30:309-19
Breslend, Nicole Lafko; Parent, Justin; Forehand, Rex et al. (2016) Parental Depressive Symptoms and Youth Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: The Moderating Role of Interparental Conflict. J Fam Violence 31:823-831
Compas, Bruce E; Forehand, Rex; Thigpen, Jennifer et al. (2015) Efficacy and moderators of a family group cognitive-behavioral preventive intervention for children of parents with depression. J Consult Clin Psychol 83:541-53
McKee, Laura G; Parent, Justin; Forehand, Rex et al. (2014) Reducing youth internalizing symptoms: effects of a family-based preventive intervention on parental guilt induction and youth cognitive style. Dev Psychopathol 26:319-32
Parent, Justin; Forehand, Rex; Dunbar, Jennifer P et al. (2014) Parent and adolescent reports of parenting when a parent has a history of depression: associations with observations of parenting. J Abnorm Child Psychol 42:173-83
Watson, Kelly H; Dunbar, Jennifer P; Thigpen, Jennifer et al. (2014) Observed parental responsiveness/warmth and children's coping: cross-sectional and prospective relations in a family depression preventive intervention. J Fam Psychol 28:278-86
Dunbar, Jennifer P; McKee, Laura; Rakow, Aaron et al. (2013) Coping, Negative Cognitive Style and Depressive Symptoms in Children of Depressed Parents. Cognit Ther Res 37:
Forehand, Rex; Thigpen, Jennifer C; Parent, Justin et al. (2012) The role of parent depressive symptoms in positive and negative parenting in a preventive intervention. J Fam Psychol 26:532-41

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