IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v291y2021ics0277953621007966.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The gendered relationship between maternal depression and adolescent internalizing symptoms

Author

Listed:
  • Livings, Michelle Sarah

Abstract

It is well-established that adolescents whose mothers are depressed are themselves more likely to experience internalizing symptoms (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms). Even as extensive work shows that internalizing symptoms are more prevalent among adolescent girls compared to boys, it is unclear if the maternal-offspring mental health relationship is gender-neutral or gender-specific: Does maternal depression act as an equalizing force for adolescents’ risk of internalizing symptoms, or does it contribute to adolescent gender differences? This study analyzes whether adolescent gender moderates the association between maternal depression and adolescent internalizing symptoms using data from the Year-15 survey of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which follows a cohort of children born in large U.S. cities, primarily to unmarried parents. This sample of 2159 primary caregiver mothers and adolescent offspring (ages 14–18 years) has numerous social risk factors for internalizing symptoms, affording the opportunity to carefully assess the possibly gendered nature of mother-adolescent linkages. Adjusted ordinary least squares regression models showed that maternal depression is associated with significantly higher adolescent depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, the relationship between maternal depression and adolescent internalizing symptoms is substantially larger for daughters compared to sons. The gendered nature of these concurrent mother-adolescent symptoms highlights the need to consider the effect of gender on other risk processes within families. Moreover, the strong clustering of internalizing symptoms among mothers and daughters highlights the value of prevention and treatment efforts that attend to adult and adolescent mental health simultaneously.

Suggested Citation

  • Livings, Michelle Sarah, 2021. "The gendered relationship between maternal depression and adolescent internalizing symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 291(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:291:y:2021:i:c:s0277953621007966
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114464
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953621007966
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114464?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joan Garcia Roman & Clara Cortina, 2016. "Family time of couples with children: shortening gender differences in parenting?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 921-940, December.
    2. Reichman, Nancy E. & Teitler, Julien O. & Garfinkel, Irwin & McLanahan, Sara S., 2001. "Fragile Families: sample and design," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4-5), pages 303-326.
    3. Sarah E. Johnson & David Lawrence & Francisco Perales & Janeen Baxter & Stephen R. Zubrick, 2019. "Poverty, Parental Mental Health and Child/Adolescent Mental Disorders: Findings from a National Australian Survey," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(3), pages 963-988, June.
    4. Mendelson, Tamar & Kubzansky, Laura D. & Datta, Geetanjali D. & Buka, Stephen L., 2008. "Relation of female gender and low socioeconomic status to internalizing symptoms among adolescents: A case of double jeopardy?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(6), pages 1284-1296, March.
    5. Kiyuri Naicker & Maeve Wickham & Ian Colman, 2012. "Timing of First Exposure to Maternal Depression and Adolescent Emotional Disorder in a National Canadian Cohort," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(3), pages 1-6, March.
    6. Shelly Lundberg & Elaina Rose, 2003. "Child gender and the transition to marriage," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 40(2), pages 333-349, May.
    7. O'Gara, Jaimie L. & Zhang, Anao & Padilla, Yolanda & Liu, Chun & Wang, Kaipeng, 2019. "Father-youth closeness and adolescent self-rated health: The mediating role of mental health," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Miller, Keva M., 2014. "Maternal criminal justice involvement and co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems: Examining moderation of sex and race on children's mental health," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 71-80.
    9. Shelly Lundberg & Sara McLanahan & Elaina Rose, 2007. "Child gender and father involvement in fragile families," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(1), pages 79-92, February.
    10. Pryor, Laura & Strandberg-Larsen, Katrine & Nybo Andersen, Anne-Marie & Hulvej Rod, Naja & Melchior, Maria, 2019. "Trajectories of family poverty and children's mental health: Results from the Danish National Birth Cohort," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 371-378.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ji-Kang Chen & Zhiyou Wang & Hung Wong & Vera Mun-yu Tang, 2021. "Child Deprivation as a Mediator of the Relationships between Family Poverty, Bullying Victimization, and Psychological Distress," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(5), pages 2001-2019, October.
    2. Julia S. Goldberg, 2011. "Identity Salience and Involvement among Resident and Nonresident Fathers," Working Papers 1323, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    3. Nancy E. Reichman & Hope Corman & Kelly Noonan, 2013. "Effects of Mental Health on Couple Relationship Status," Working Papers 1473, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    4. Nancy Reichman & Hope Corman & Kelly Noonan, 2015. "Effects of maternal depression on couple relationship status," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 929-973, December.
    5. Laura Giuliano, 2007. "The Demand for Sons or the Demand for Fathers? Understanding the Effects of Child Gender on Divorce Rates," Working Papers 0724, University of Miami, Department of Economics.
    6. Zurab Abramishvili & William Appleman & Sergii Maksymovych, 2019. "Parental Gender Preference in the Balkans and Scandinavia: Gender Bias or Differential Costs?," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp643, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    7. Chan, Kwok Ho & Fung, Ka Wai Terence, 2013. "The Effect of Social Fathers on the Cognitive Skills of Out-of-Wedlock Children," MPRA Paper 52875, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Kelly Bedard & Allison Witman, 2020. "Family structure and the gender gap in ADHD," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1101-1129, December.
    9. Younghwan Song & Jia Gao, 2023. "Do fathers have son preference in the United States? Evidence from paternal subjective well-being," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 1083-1117, September.
    10. Gerald Eric Daniels & Venoo Kakar & Anoshua Chaudhuri, 2017. "Racial Differences in Transitions to Marriage for Unmarried Mothers," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 370-389, September.
    11. Kristin Turney & Sarah Halpern-Meekin, 2017. "Parenting in On/Off Relationships: The Link Between Relationship Churning and Father Involvement," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(3), pages 861-886, June.
    12. Kwok Chan & Ka Fung & Ender Demir, 2015. "The health and behavioral outcomes of out-of-wedlock children from families of social fathers," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 385-411, June.
    13. repec:pri:crcwel:wp11-14-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Kabátek, Jan & Ribar, David C., 2017. "Teenage Daughters as a Cause of Divorce," IZA Discussion Papers 11046, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Alexander N. Slade & Andrea H. Beller & Elizabeth T. Powers, 2017. "Family structure and young adult health outcomes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 175-197, March.
    16. Livvy Mitchell & Isabelle Sin & Maanaima Soa-Lafoai & Colleen Ward, 2022. "Gendered parenting and the intergenerational transmission of gendered stereotypes: Evidence from the Growing Up in New Zealand survey," Working Papers 22_10, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    17. Amanda Geller & Carey Cooper & Irwin Garfinkel & Ofira Schwartz-Soicher & Ronald Mincy, 2012. "Beyond Absenteeism: Father Incarceration and Child Development," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(1), pages 49-76, February.
    18. Bartel, Ann P. & Rossin-Slater, Maya & Ruhm, Christopher J. & Stearns, Jenna & Waldfogel, Jane, 2015. "Paid Family Leave, Fathers' Leave-Taking, and Leave-Sharing in Dual-Earner Households," IZA Discussion Papers 9530, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Tracey, Marlon R. & Polachek, Solomon W., 2018. "If looks could heal: Child health and paternal investment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 179-190.
    20. Rossin-Slater, Maya & Wüst, Miriam, 2018. "Parental responses to child support obligations: Evidence from administrative data," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 183-196.
    21. Carey E. Cooper & Cynthia A. Osborne & Audrey N. Beck & Sara S. McLanahan, 2008. "Partnership Instability and Child Wellbeing during the Transition to Elementary School," Working Papers 1078, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:291:y:2021:i:c:s0277953621007966. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.