Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jan;5(1):e8.
doi: 10.1192/bjo.2018.83.

Major depressive disorder in women and risk for future generations: population-based three-generation study

Ann Josefsson  1 , Josefin Vikström  2 , Marie Bladh  3 , Gunilla Sydsjö  1
Affiliations

Major depressive disorder in women and risk for future generations: population-based three-generation study

Ann Josefsson et al. BJPsych Open. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Background: The well-known adverse consequences of maternal depression prompts consideration of the importance of learning more about intergenerational transmission in order to identify individuals at risk of developing depressive disorders.AimsTo follow two generations of women with major depressive disorder (MDD) and to examine the risk of MDD in the third-generation children.

Method: A register-based, retrospective cohort study of all women born in Sweden between 1973 and 1982 who had given birth during the study period, their mothers and their children. All generations were followed until 2013. Data was stratified into two cohorts: women born between 1973 and 1977 and those born between 1978 and 1982.

Results: Second-generation women were twice as likely to be diagnosed with MDD if their mothers had been diagnosed with MDD. If both previous generations had been diagnosed with depression the likelihood of the third-generation child being diagnosed with MDD was markedly increased (odds ratio (OR) = 5.07, 95% CI 4.06-6.34 and OR = 7.20, 95% CI 4.41-11.77 in cohort 1 and cohort 2, respectively).

Conclusions: There is a strong intergenerational impact in the transmission of MDD. The risk of MDD is especially high in individuals with MDD in both previous maternal generations.Declaration of interestNone.

Keywords: Major depressive disorder; intergenerational; offspring; women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of study participants in the three different generations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ebmeier KP, Donaghey C, Steele JD. Recent developments and current controversies in depression. Lancet 2006; 367: 153–67. - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC, Merikangas KR, Wang PS. Prevalence, comorbidity, and service utilization for mood disorders in the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2007; 3: 137–58. - PubMed
    1. Fernandez-Pujals AM, Adams MJ, Thomson P, McKechanie AG, Blackwood DH, Smith BH, et al. Epidemiology and heritability of major depressive disorder, stratified by age of onset, sex, and illness course in Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study (GS:SFHS). PLoS One 2015; 10: e0142197. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agnafors S, Comasco E, Bladh M, Sydsjo G, Dekeyser L, Oreland L, et al. Effect of gene, environment and maternal depressive symptoms on pre-adolescence behavior problems – a longitudinal study. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2013; 7: 10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bromet E, Andrade LH, Hwang I, Sampson NA, Alonso J, de Girolamo G, et al. Cross-national epidemiology of DSM-IV major depressive episode. BMC Med 2011; 9: 90. - PMC - PubMed