Mothers' and children's depression is linked through children's perceptions of attachment security

Abstract

AbstractThis study investigated how mothers' depressive symptoms were related to their children's depressive symptoms through children's perceived attachment security to their mother. Ninety‐six mothers reported on their depressive symptoms. Children reported on their depressive symptoms and their attachment security with their mothers. The results indicated that children's perception of security with their mothers indirectly linked mothers' depressive symptoms to their children's depressive symptoms. Furthermore, this indirect association was moderated by child's sex because only girls, whose mothers reported higher depressive symptoms, reported lower perceived attachment security. This study advances the literature on mechanisms explaining how mothers' depressive symptoms are related to their children's depressive symptoms, which have critical implications for the prevention and intervention of child and adolescent depression.Highlights Mothers' depressive symptoms were related to children's depressive symptoms through children's perceptions of mother–child attachment security One path in the indirect relation was moderated by child's sex such that maternal depression was associated with a less secure perceived attachment relationship for female youth but not male youth Child depression interventions may be improved by targeting attachment relationships, with particular attention for daughters of depressed mothers