[Mother-child agreement regarding the depressive symptoms and the quality of life of the child and its influencing factors in children with and without depression]

Abstract

Mother-child agreement and influencing factors were studied in depressed and non-depressed children.

Aims: We hypothesized that age and gender of the child and maternal depression influenced mother-child agreement; parents of depressed children underestimated the quality of life of their children; agreement was better in older and non-depressed children.

Methods: We studied depressed children with Major Depressive Disorder (n = 354, mean age = 11.69 +/- 2.05 years), and non-depressed school-age children (n = 1695, mean age = 10.34 +/- 2.19 years). Psychiatric diagnosis was obtained by a semi-structured interview; depressive symptoms and quality of life were measured by self-reported questionnaires.

Results: Mother-child agreement about depressive symptoms increased as children got older. Mother-son reports showed significant difference, mother-daughter reports were similar. Depressed mothers reported more serious symptoms for their children. Depressed children's parent rated lower quality of life than children for themselves. Agreement was influenced by depression of the child and only marginally by age.

Conclusions: Age and psychiatric illness of the examined person influences agreement, which finding may well be important in practice.