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Psychopathology in the Relatives of Depressed-Abused Children

NCJ Number
170928
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1998) Pages: 171-181
Author(s)
J Kaufman; B Birmaher; D Brent; R Dahl; J Bridge; N D Ryan
Date Published
1998
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study determined whether the type of symptomatology abused children manifest is related to family history of psychopathology.
Abstract
Lifetime history of psychopathology was assessed in the relatives of 26 preadolescents 13 of whom were depressed abused (MDD-AB) and 13 of whom were depressed nonabused (MDD-NA) children. Rates of emotional disorder in the relatives of these children were compared to published rates of psychopathology in relatives of 27 normal control (NC) children. Data were obtained on 104 first-degree relatives (MDD-AB = 25; MDD-NA = 29; NC = 50) and 503 second- degree relatives (MDD-AB = 127; MDD-NA = 117; NC = 259). The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia was used to assess psychopathology in parents, and Family History method was used to obtain lifetime psychiatric data for all other relatives. When compared to first-degree relatives of NC children, first- degree relatives of MDD-AB children had approximately a nine-fold increased risk for major depression and a three- to nine-fold increased risk for other disorders associated with the familial subtype of affective illness known as Depression Spectrum Disease (e.g., antisocial personality and alcohol and substance dependence). Similar findings were reported in second-degree relatives and comparisons between the relatives of MDD-NA and NC children. These findings extend the results of prior research and suggest that familial vulnerability factors influence the symptom profile of abused children; they also show the value of incorporating psychiatric formulations into multidisciplinary models of child abuse research and treatment programs. 3 tables and 48 references