Citation

Roetman PJ, Lundström S, Finkenauer C, Vermeiren RRJM, Lichtenstein P, Colins OF. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2019; 58(8): 806-817.

Affiliation

Leiden University Medical Center in Oegstgeest, The Netherlands; Center for Criminological and Psychosocial Research, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1016/j.jaac.2018.10.017

PMID

30877047

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Parental mental disorders (MD) and child early-onset disruptive behavior (DB) are well-established risk factors for poor outcomes in adolescence. However, it is not clear whether parental MD increases risk of future maladjustment among children who already display DB.

METHOD: Parents of 9-year-old children reported on child DB, while a patient registry was used to determine parental MD. At follow-ups at 15 (N = 6319) and 18 years (N = 3068) information about various problems were collected via registries, parent- and, self-reports.

RESULTS: In the total sample, child DB was related to all outcomes (mean odds ratio [OR] = 1.18; range = 1.07-1.51; ps <.01), paternal MD to criminality, aggression, truancy, poor school performance, and a cumulative risk index of poor functioning, and maternal MD to peer problems, rule-breaking, and truancy (mean OR = 1.67; range = 1.19-2.71; ps <.05). In the subsample of children with DB, paternal MD predicted criminality, consequences of antisocial behavior, truancy, poor school performance, and cumulative risk, while maternal MD predicted peer problems (mean OR = 1.94; range = 1.30-2.40; ps <.05).

CONCLUSION: This study provides novel evidence that parental MD puts 9-year-olds with DB at risk for negative outcomes in adolescence. Additionally, paternal MD is a better predictor than maternal MD, regardless of child DB at age 9, suggesting that fathers should be given increased attention in future research. Treatment-as-usual of children with DB could be augmented with additional screening and, if necessary, treatment of mental health problems in their parents.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

aggression; child of impaired parents; conduct disorder; longitudinal studies; oppositional defiant disorder