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Exposure to Parental Depression in Adolescence and Risk for Metabolic Syndrome in Adulthood
Author(s) -
Ehrlich Katherine B.,
Chen Edith,
Yu Tianyi,
Miller Gregory E.,
Brody Gene H.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.13003
Subject(s) - psychosocial , psychology , metabolic syndrome , depression (economics) , young adult , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , mental health , psychiatry , obesity , medicine , endocrinology , economics , macroeconomics
The psychosocial consequences of living with a depressed parent have been well characterized. Less well known, however, is how this exposure is predictive of later physical health problems. The present study evaluated how parental depression across youths’ adolescence (ages 11–18) was associated with youth metabolic syndrome at age 25 ( n = 391). Youth self‐regulation and health behaviors were considered as possible moderators of the link between parental depression and youth metabolic syndrome. Analyses revealed that parental depression in adolescence was associated with a composite score reflecting metabolic syndrome components in early adulthood. Furthermore, self‐regulation and health behaviors moderated this link, such that links between parental depression and the metabolic syndrome existed only for youth with low self‐regulation or unhealthy behaviors.