Browsing by Author "Jääskeläinen, Maria"

Objectives. Depression is one of the most significant public health problems worldwide. In many ways depression affects not only the well-being and capacity of an individual, but also the environment and interpersonal relationships of the depressed individual, as well as the society as a whole at population level. This study examined whether childhood problem behaviours (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) are associated with later depressive symptoms, and whether an emotionally warm and supportive family environment or socio-economic status of the family at childhood explains the association between problem behaviour and depressive symptoms. As depression and depressive symptoms differ between women and men, current study also examined gender differences in the associations. Methods. The study data was from the longitudinal Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS), which began in 1980 when the participants were 3–18 years of age. The sample size included in this study was 1331 men and women. Childhood problem behaviours (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and child-rearing attitudes (parents' experience of emotional significance of their child and tolerance towards their child) were assessed from self-evaluation forms completed by parents in 1983. Depressive symptoms were assessed with a modified Beck's Depression Inventory (mBDI) conducted in 1992 and 1997. Associations between childhood problem behaviour and parents' child-rearing attitudes, and later depressive symptoms, were examined using linear and multinomial logistic regression analyses. The age and childhood socio-economic status of the participants were controlled in the analyses. Results and conclusions. Results showed that childhood internalizing and externalizing symptoms were associated with depressive symptoms in both men and women nine years later, and in women fourteen years later. In addition, mother's experience of the emotional significance of their child was associated with depressive symptoms in men nine years later. Furthermore, the mother's experience of tolerance towards their child was associated with changes in depressive symptoms in women. The socio-economic status of the childhood family was not found to have any direct impact on subsequent depressive symptoms. The study confirmed earlier research findings on the connection between childhood problem behaviour and subsequent mental health. As childhood problem behaviour has long-lasting effects on the individual's life, interventions aimed at families with children should be developed in the direction of early identification of problems, and providing families with more help in dealing with the behavioural and emotional problems of children.