Adolescent study
(1995-9)
In order to examine intergenerational transmission of risk from
the mothers, their adolescent offspring were approached for study.
144 vulnerable mother-offspring pairs were interviewed for the study.
This consisted of 90 mothers (64 followed-up and 26 newly screened
mothers) of whom half had more than one offspring interviewed as
a new pairing. Each of the pair was approached separately and interviewed
in private by different interviewers.
Aim
To examine the characteristics of young people whose vulnerable
mothers had already been studied, in order to test for inter-generational
transmission of risk of disorder. Also to examine the young peoples
own vulnerability for disorder in terms of their childhood experience
and their inter-personal characteristics.
The sample
There
were 100 mothers previously studied from the Coping mothers and
Sisters samples who had at least one child in the age range required
(16-30). Although as many as 70% of mothers approached who had at
least one offspring in the required age range agreed to be re-interviewed,
the final numbers were reduced due to offspring unavailability and
cooperation. Thus of 187 eligible offspring, 25% (47) proved unobtainable
(despite extensive efforts to track them down) and 18% (33) refused,
resulting in 56% (105) of all eligible offspring and mothers agreeing
to be interviewed. No significant differences were found between
the compliant and non-compliant families in terms of the mothers'
demographic or risk characteristics or rates of disorder at first
contact. Thus the final numbers comprised 105 pairs (44 sons and
61 daughters) in the vulnerable series. To this were added the 26
newly screened and interviewed mothers who had a total of 39 suitable
offspring.
The
two series were similar in terms of demographic and risk characteristics
and are combined for the following analysis. There were more daughters
(78) than sons (68) interviewed. There were 36 sibling pairs (12
sister and 9 brother and 15 mixed sibling pairs). There were also
6 families with 3 siblings interviewed
Measures used
Findings
The
Adolescents’ experience and disorder: The
young people had high yearly rates of disorder (45%), involving
depression; anxiety, substance abuse, and a small proportion with
conduct disorder. They also had high rates of insecure attachment
style (71%), with 47% insecure at more dysfunctional levels. Anxious
attachment style (Enmeshed or Fearful) was associated with internalising
disorder (major depression or anxiety). Statistical modelling confirmed
that neglect/abuse from mother; negative evaluation of self and
anxious attachment style provided the best-fit model for internalising
disorder. Neglect/abuse from father and problems with peer group
at age 16 had a direct relationship to externalising disorder, with
negative evaluation of self, associated with peer group problems
in boys only. Further analyses showed the added impact of bullying
at school as a factor in later depression, as well as the experience
of role reversal in the development of self-harm behaviour.
Intergenerational
analysis: A
path model was developed which showed that mothers’ insecure
attachment style had no direct link to either recalled child neglect/abuse
or currently assessed disorder in their adolescent and young adult
offspring. The connections appeared to be indirect, through the
quality of relationships in the family system: mothers’ insecure
attachment and their partners’ problem behaviour accounted
for variance in mothers’ incompetent parenting as rated by
interviewers. These variables predicted her neglect/abuse of the
child, which was the only variable directly associated with internalising
disorder in her offspring. Mother’s lifetime depression did
not add to the model. It is argued that an ecological approach (emphasising
social adversity and different role domains), and a lifespan approach
(emphasising a history of adverse relationships a different life
stages) is important in understanding the mechanisms by which parental
insecure attachment style influences transmission of risk to the
next generation.
