Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T01:59:57.679Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Father absence and depressive symptoms in adolescence: findings from a UK cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2013

I. Culpin ,
J. Heron ,
R. Araya ,
R. Melotti  and
C. Joinson
I. Culpin*
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK
J. Heron
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK
R. Araya
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK
R. Melotti
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK
C. Joinson
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Miss I. Culpin, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Barley House, Oakfield Grove, Clifton, Bristol BS82BN, UK. (Email: Iryna.Culpin@bristol.ac.uk)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Previous studies suggest a link between parental separation or divorce and risk of depression in adolescence. There are, however, few studies that have prospectively examined the effects of timing of biological father absence on risk for depressive symptoms in adolescence while controlling for a range of confounding factors.

Method

We examine the association between father absence occurring in early (the first 5 years) and middle childhood (5–10 years) and adolescent depressive symptoms in a sample comprising 5631 children from the UK-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Self-reported depressive symptoms at 14 years were assessed using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Father absence was assessed from maternal questionnaires completed at regular intervals from the birth of the study child up to 10 years.

Results

There was evidence for an association between father absence in early childhood and increased odds of depressive symptoms at 14 years. This association was stronger in girls than in boys and remained after adjusting for a range of socio-economic, maternal and familial confounders assessed prior to the father's departure. Conversely, there was no evidence for an association between father absence in middle childhood and depressive symptoms at 14 years.

Conclusions

Father absence in early childhood increases risk for adolescent depressive symptoms, particularly in girls. Future research should be aimed at identifying possible biological and psychosocial mechanisms linking father absence to depressive symptomatology to enable the development of family-based early prevention and intervention programmes targeting young children at risk.

Keywords

Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)depressive symptomsearly childhoodfather absenceparental conflictsocio-economic disadvantage
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 43 , Issue 12 , December 2013 , pp. 2615 - 2626
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agid, O, Kohn, Y, Lerer, B (2000). Environmental stress and psychiatric illness. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy 54, 135–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allison, PD, Furstenberg, FF (1989). How marital dissolution affects children: variations by age and sex. Developmental Psychology 25, 540–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amato, PR (1991). Parental absence during childhood and depression in later life. Sociological Quarterly 32, 543–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amato, PR (2001). Children of divorce in the 1990s: an update of the Amato and Keith (1991) meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology 15, 355–370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Amato, PR (2005). The impact of family formation change on the cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of the next generation. Future of Children 15, 75–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Amato, PR, Gilbreth, JG (1999). Nonresident fathers and children's well-being: a meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family 61, 557–573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amato, PR, Keith, B (1991). Parental divorce and the well-being of children: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 110, 26–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Amato, PR, Sobolewski, JM (2001). The effects of divorce and marital discord on adult children's psychological well-being. American Sociological Review 66, 900–921.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Angold, A, Costello, EJ, Messer, SC, Pickles, A, Winder, F, Silver, D (1995). Development of a short questionnaire for use in epidemiological studies of depression in children and adolescents. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 5, 237–249.Google Scholar
Angold, A, Erkanli, A, Silberg, J, Eaves, L, Costello, EJ (2002). Depression scale scores in 8–17-year-olds: effects of age and gender. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 43, 1052–1063.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ben-Shlomo, Y, Kuh, D (2002). A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology: conceptual models, empirical challenges and interdisciplinary perspectives. International Journal of Epidemiology 31, 285–293.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Black, AE, Pedrocarroll, J (1993). Role of parent-child relationships in mediating the effects of marital disruption. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 32, 1019–1027.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyd, A, Golding, G, Macleod, J, Lawlor, DA, Fraser, A, Henderson, J, Molloy, L, Ness, A, Ring, S, Smith, GD (2012). Cohort profile: the ‘Children of the 90’ – the index offspring of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. International Journal of Epidemiology 5, 1–17.Google Scholar
Brown, DW, Anda, RF, Tiemeier, H, Felitti, VJ, Edwards, VJ, Croft, JB, Giles, WH (2009). Adverse childhood experiences and the risk of premature mortality. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 37, 389–396.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carlson, MJ (2006). Family structure, father involvement, and adolescent behavioral outcomes. Journal of Marriage and Family 68, 137–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cherlin, AJ, Chase-Lansdale, PL, McRae, C (1998). Effects of parental divorce on mental health throughout the life course. American Sociological Review 63, 239–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cherlin, AJ, Furstenberg, FF Jr., Chase-Lansdale, PL, Kiernan, KE, Robins, PK, Morrison, DR, Teitler, JO (1991). Longitudinal studies of effects of divorce on children in Great Britain and the United States. Science 252, 1386–1389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coley, RL (1998). Children's socialization experiences and functioning in single-mother households: the importance of fathers and other men. Child Development 69, 219–230.Google ScholarPubMed
Cookston, JT, Braver, SL, Griffin, WA, De Luse, SR, Miles, JC (2007). Effects of the Dads For Life intervention on interparental conflict and coparenting in the two years after divorce. Family Process 46, 123–137.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cox, JL, Holden, JM, Sagovsky, R (1987). Detection of postnatal depression. Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. British Journal of Psychiatry 150, 782–786.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crawford, TN, Cohen, P, Midlarsky, E, Brook, JS (2001). Internalizing symptoms in adolescents: gender differences in vulnerability to parental distress and discord. Journal of Research on Adolescence 11, 95–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuffe, SP, McKeown, RE, Addy, CL, Garrison, CZ (2005). Family and psychosocial risk factors in a longitudinal epidemiological study of adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 44, 121–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cyranowski, JM, Frank, E, Young, E, Shear, MK (2000). Adolescent onset of the gender difference in lifetime rates of major depression: a theoretical model. Archives of General Psychiatry 57, 21–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davies, PT, Windle, M (1997). Gender-specific pathways between maternal depressive symptoms, family discord, and adolescent adjustment. Developmental Psychology 33, 657–668.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doherty, WJ, Kouneski, EF, Erickson, MF (1998). Responsible fathering: an overview and conceptual framework. Journal of Marriage and the Family 60, 277–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunbar, J, Sheeder, J, Lezotte, D, Dabelea, D, Stevens-Simon, C (2008). Age at menarche and first pregnancy among psychosocially at-risk adolescents. American Journal of Public Health 98, 1822–1824.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Duncan, GJ, Yeung, WJ, Brooks-Gunn, J, Smith, JR (1998). How much does childhood poverty affect the life chances of children? American Sociological Review 63, 406–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, BJ, Bates, JE, Dodge, KM, Fergusson, DM, Horwood, LJ, Pettit, GS, Woodward, L (2003). Does father absence place daughters at special risk for early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy? Child Development 74, 801–821.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emery, RE, Forehand, R (1994). Parental divorce and children's well-being: a focus on resilience. In Stress, Risk and Resilience in Children and Adolescents (ed. Haggerty, RJ., Sherrod, LR., Garmezy, N. and Rutter, M.), pp. 64–99. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Ermisch, JF, Francesconi, M (2001). Family structure and children's achievements. Journal of Population Economics 14, 249–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, J, Heron, J, Francomb, H, Oke, S, Golding, O (2001). Cohort study of depressed mood during pregnancy and after childbirth. British Medical Journal 323, 257–260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fergusson, DM, Horwood, LJ, Linskey, MT (1993). Parental separation, adolescent psychopathology, and problem behaviours. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33, 1122–1132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fergusson, DM, Lynskey, MT, Horwood, LJ (1994). The effects of parental separation, the timing of separation and gender on children's performance on cognitive tests. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 35, 1077–1092.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finch, N (2002). Demographic Trends in the UK. Social Policy Research Unit, University of York: Heslington, York.Google Scholar
Flouri, E, Buchanan, A (2003). The role of father involvement in children's later mental health. Journal of Adolescence 26, 63–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Golding, J, Pembrey, M, Jones, R; ALSPAC Study Team (2001). ALSPAC – the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: I. Study methodology. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 15, 74–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodman, SH, Gotlib, IH (1999). Risk for psychopathology in the children of depressed mothers: a developmental model for understanding mechanisms of transmission. Psychological Review 106, 458–490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grant, KE, Compas, BE, Thurm, AE, McMahon, SD, Gipson, PY, Campbell, AJ, Krochock, K, Westerholm, RI (2006). Stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology: evidence of moderating and mediating effects. Clinical Psychology Review 26, 257–283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herman-Stahl, M, Petersen, AC (1996). The protective role of coping and social resources for depressive symptoms among young adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 25, 733–753.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hetherington, EM (1989). Coping with family transitions: winners, losers, and survivors. Child Development 60, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hetherington, EM (1993). An overview of the Virginia Longitudinal Study of Divorce and Remarriage with a focus on early adolescence. Journal of Family Psychology 7, 39–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hetherington, EM, Bridges, M, Insabella, GM (1998). What matters? What does not? Five perspectives on the association between marital transitions and children's adjustment. American Psychologist 53, 167–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hetherington, EM, Stanley-Hagan, M, Anderson, ER (1989). Marital transitions: a child's perspective. American Psychologist 44, 303–312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jaffe, SR, Moffitt, TE, Caspi, A, Fombonne, E, Poulton, R, Martin, J (2002). Differences in early childhood risk factors for juvenile-onset and adult-onset depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 59, 215–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joinson, C, Heron, J, Lewis, G, Croudace, T, Araya, R (2011). Timing of menarche and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls from a UK cohort. British Journal of Psychiatry 198, 12–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelly, JB (2000). Children's adjustment in conflicted marriage and divorce: a decade review of research. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 8, 963–973.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knudsen, EI (2004). Sensitive periods in the development of the brain and behavior. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 16, 1412–1425.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovacs, M (1992). Children's Depression Inventory Manual. Multi-Health Systems, Inc.: North Tonawande, NY.Google Scholar
Lansford, JE, Ceballo, R, Abbey, A, Stewart, AJ (2001). Does family structure matter? A comparison of adoptive, two-parent biological, single-mother, stepfather, and stepmother households. Journal of Marriage and Family 63, 840–851.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lansford, JE, Malone, PS, Castellino, DR, Dodge, KA, Pettit, GS, Bates, JE (2006). Trajectories of internalizing, externalizing, and grades for children who have and have not experienced their parents’ divorce or separation. Journal of Family Psychology 20, 292–301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maccoby, EE (1990). Gender and relationships: a developmental account. American Psychologist 45, 513–520.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maercker, A, Michael, T, Fehm, L, Becker, ES, Margraf, J (2004). Age of traumatisation as a predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression in young women. British Journal of Psychiatry 184, 482–487.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Manski, CF, Sandefur, GD, McLanahan, S, Powers, D (1992). Alternative estimates of the effect of family structure during adolescence on high-school graduation. Journal of the American Statistical Association 87, 25–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrison, DR, Cherlin, AJ (1995). The divorce process and young children's well-being: a prospective analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family 57, 800–812.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolenhoeksema, S (1994). An interactive model for the emergence of gender differences in depression in adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence 4, 519–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Office of Population Census and Surveys (1991). Standard Occupational Classification, vol. 3. HMSO: London.Google Scholar
Oldehinkel, AJ, Ormel, J, Veenstra, R, De Winter, AF, Verhulst, FC (2008). Parental divorce and offspring depressive symptoms: Dutch developmental trends during early adolescence. Journal of Marriage and Family 70, 284–293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patton, GC, Olsson, C, Bond, L, Toumbourou, JW, Carlin, JB, Hemphill, SA, Catalano, RF (2008). Predicting female depression across puberty: a two-nation longitudinal study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 47, 1424–1432.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pechtel, P, Pizzagalli, DA (2011). Effects of early life stress on cognitive and affective function: an integrated review of human literature. Psychopharmacology 214, 55–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petterson, SM, Albers, AB (2001). Effects of poverty and maternal depression on early child development. Child Development 72, 1794–1813.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piccinelli, M, Wilkinson, G (2000). Gender differences in depression: critical review. British Journal of Psychiatry 177, 486–492.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phares, V, Fields, S, Kamboukos, D, Lopez, E (2005). Still looking for Poppa. American Psychologist 60, 735–736.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reinfjell, T, Hjemdal, O, Aune, T, Vikan, A, Diseth, TH (2008). The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 as an assessment measure for depressive symptoms: a correlational study with young adolescents. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 62, 279–286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reinherz, HZ, Giaconia, RM, Pakiz, B, Silverman, AB, Frost, AK, Lefkowitz, ES (1993). Psychosocial risks for major depression in late adolescence: a longitudinal community study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 32, 1155–1163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rice, F, Harold, GT, Thapar, A (2002). Assessing the effects of age, sex and shared environment on the genetic aetiology of depression in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 43, 1039–1051.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rudolph, KD (2002). Gender differences in emotional responses to interpersonal stress during adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health 30, 3–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Royston, P (2005). Multiple imputation of missing values: update. Stata Journal 5, 188–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubin, DB (1987). Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys. J. Wiley & Sons: New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruschena, E, Prior, M, Sanson, A, Smart, D (2005). A longitudinal study of adolescent adjustment following family transitions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 46, 353–363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seiffge-Krenke, I, Stemmler, M (2002). Factors contributing to gender differences in depressive symptoms: a test of three developmental models. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 31, 405–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaffer, D, Fisher, P, Lucas, CP, Dulcan, MK, Schwab-Stone, ME (2000). NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): description, differences from previous versions, and reliability of some common diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 39, 28–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharp, C, Goodyer, IM, Croudace, TJ (2006). The Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ): a unidimensional item response theory and categorical data factor analysis of self report ratings from a community sample of 7-through 11-year-old children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 34, 379–391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Storksen, I, Roysamb, E, Holmen, TL, Tambs, K (2006). Adolescent adjustment and well-being: effects of parental divorce and distress. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 47, 75–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Storksen, I, Roysamb, E, Moum, T, Tambs, K (2005). Adolescents with a childhood experience of parental divorce: a longitudinal study of mental health and adjustment. Journal of Adolescence 28, 725–739.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strohschein, L (2005). Parental divorce and child mental health trajectories. Journal of Marriage and Family 67, 1286–1300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teicher, MH, Andersen, SL, Polcari, A, Anderson, CM, Navalta, CP, Kim, DM (2003). The neurobiological consequences of early stress and childhood maltreatment. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 27, 33–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thapar, A, McGuffin, P (1998). Validity of the shortened Mood and Feelings Questionnaire in a community sample of children and adolescents: a preliminary research note. Psychiatry Research 81, 259–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Buuren, S (2012). Flexible Imputation of Missing Data. Taylor & Francis Group: Boca Raton, FL.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Videon, TM (2005). Parent-child relations and children's psychological well-being: do Dads matter? Journal of Family Issues 26, 55–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, IR, Royston, P, Wood, AM (2011). Multiple imputation using chained equations: issues and guidance for practice. Statistical Medicine 30, 377–399.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, S, Connolly, J, Segal, ZV (2001). Intimacy in relationships and cognitive vulnerability to depression in adolescent girls. Cognitive Therapy and Research 4, 477–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yeung, W, Duncan, GJ, Hill, MS (1995). A sibling-based analysis of the effects of family structure on children's achievement. Paper presented at the American Population Association Meeting, San Francisco, 6–8 April.Google Scholar
Zill, N, Morrison, DR, Coiro, MJ (1993). Long-term effects of parental divorce on parent-child relationships, adjustment, and achievement in young adulthood. Journal of Family Psychology 7, 91–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Culpin Supplementary Material

Table S1

Download Culpin Supplementary Material(File)
File 54.8 KB