A mother`s
depression may raise the risk for
antisocial behavior in her child, especially when depression
occurs
early in her child`s development, British researchers say.
Researchers at King`s College, London
studied 1,116 sets of twins and found much higher levels of antisocial
behavior in 7-year-old kids whose mothers had suffered
depression during the child`s first five years of life.
The greatest risk for problem behaviors occurred
in children whose mothers suffered from depression and also showed
symptoms of antisocial
personality disorder.
A family history of antisocial behavior
"accounted for approximately one-third of the observed association
between maternal depression and children`s antisocial behavior," the
study authors explained in a prepared statement. They say the study
findings also suggest a strong environmental component linking exposure
to a mother`s depression with behavioral problems in her offspring.
The UK team believe a combination of three
factors might explain the association between antisocial behavior in
children and depression in mothers: First, depressed women are more
likely to have antisocial personality traits related to depression;
second, they are more likely to have children with men who also display
antisocial behaviors; and third, children of depressed mothers may
simply be genetically predisposed to antisocial disorders.