Abstract
There have been continuing concerns about the extent to which maternal depression may influence maternal reports of child behavior. To examine this issue, a series of structural equation models of the relationships between maternal depression and errors in maternal reports of child behavior was proposed and tested. These models assumed that (a) maternal depression was unrelated to maternal reporting behavior; (b) maternal depression causally influenced maternal reporting accuracy; (c) maternal depression was correlated with reporting accuracy. These models were fitted to data on maternal depression and multipleinformant (mother, teacher, child) reports of conduct disorder and attention deficit behaviors for a birth cohort of 12 and 13yearold New Zealand children. The results of model fitting suggested the presence of small to moderate correlations (@#@ r=+.13 to+.40) between maternal depression and maternal reporting errors, indicating the presence of a tendency for increasing maternal depression to be associated with a tendency for mothers to overreport child behavior problems. However, independently of any effects of maternal depression on maternal reporting errors there was evidence of small but significant associations (r=.10 to .17; p<.05)between maternal depression and child conduct disorder and attention deficit behaviors.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H., & Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity.Psychological Bulletin, 101, 213–232.
Ackerman, R., & De Rubels, R. J. (1991). Is depressive realism real? Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 565–584.
Alison, P. D. (1987). Estimation of linear models with incomplete data. In C. C. Clogg (Ed.),Sociological methodology. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
American Psychiatric Association (1987).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
Billings, A. G., & Moos, R. H. (1986). Children of parents with unipolar depression: A controlled 1-year follow up.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, 149–166.
Breslau, N., Davis, G., & Prabucki, K. (1988). Depressed mothers as informants in family history research-Are they accurate?Psychiatry Research, 24, 345–359.
Brown, R. T., & Pacini, J. M. (1989). Perceived family functioning, marital status, and depression in parents of boys with attention deficit disorder.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 9, 581–587.
Gonners, C. K. (1969). A teacher ratings scale for use in drug studies with children.American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 884–888.
Conners, C. K. (1970). Symptom patterns in hyperkinetic, neurotic and normal children.Child Development, 41, 667–682.
Conrad, M., & Hammen, C. (1989). Role of maternal depression in perceptions of child maladjustment.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 663–667.
Cundall, D. B. (1987). Children and mothers at clinics: Who is disturbed?Archives of Disease in Childhood, 62, 820–824.
Cytryn, L., McKnew, D. M., Zahn-Waxler, C., & Gershon, E. S. (1986). Developmental issues in risk research: The offspring of affectively ill parents. In M. Rutter, C. E. Izard, & P. B. Read (Eds.),Depression in young people. New York: Guilford Press.
Downey, G., & Coyne, J. C. (1990). Children of depressed parents: An integrative review.Psychological Bulletin, 108, 50–76.
Dumas, J. E., Gibson, J. A., & Albin, J. B. (1989). Behavioral correlates of maternal depressive symptomatology in conduct disorder children.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 516–521.
Estroff, T. W., Herrera, C., Gaines, R., Shaffer, D., Gould, M., & Green, A. H. (1984). Maternal psychopathology and perception of child behavior in psychiatrically referred and child maltreatment families.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 649–652.
Fergusson, D. M., Fergusson, J. E., Horwood, L. J., & Kinzett, N. G. (1988). A longitudinal study of dentine lead levels, intelligence, school performance and behaviour: Part II. Dentine lead and cognitive ability.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 29, 793–809.
Fergusson, D. M., & Horwood, L. J. (1987a). The trait and method components of ratings of conduct disorder: Part II. Factors related to the trait component of conduct disorder scores.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28, 261–272.
Fergusson, D. M., & Horwood, L. J. (1987b) The trait and method components of ratings of conduct disorder: Part I. Maternal and teacher evaluations of conduct disorder in young children.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28, 249–260.
Fergusson, D. M., & Horwood, L. J. (1989). Estimation of method and trait variance in ratings of conduct disorder.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30, 365–378.
Fergusson, D. M., & Horwood, L. J. (in press). The structure, stability and correlations of the trait components of conduct disorder, attention deficit and anxiety/withdrawal reports.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., Gretton, M. E., & Shannon, F. T. (1985). Family life events, maternal depression, and maternal and teacher descriptions of child behavior.Pediatrics, 75, 30–35.
Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., & Lloyd, M. (1991). Confirmatory factor models of attention deficit and conduct disorder.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 32, 257–274.
Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., & Shannon, F. T. (1984). Relationship of family life events, maternal depression, and child-rearing problems.Pediatrics, 73, 773–776.
Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., Shannon, F. T., & Lawton, J. M. (1989). The Christchurch Child Development Study: A review of epidemiological findings.Pediatrie and Perinatal Epidemiology, 3, 278–301.
Forehand, R., Furey, W. M., & McMahon, R. J. (1984). The role of maternal distress in a parent training programme to modify child noncompliance.Behavioral Psychotherapy, 12, 93–108.
Forehand, R., Lautenschlager, G. J., Faust, J., & Graziano, W. G. (1986). Parent perceptions and parent-child interactions in clinic referred children: A preliminary investigation of the effects of maternal depressed moods.Behavioural Research and Therapy, 24, 73–75.
Friedlander, S., Weiss, D. S., & Traylor, J. (1986). Assessing the influence of maternal depression on the validity of the Child Behavior Checklist.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, 123–133.
Gelfand, D. M., & Teti, D. M. (1990). The effects of maternal depression on children.Clinical Psychology Review, 10, 329–353.
Goodman, S. H., & Brumley, H. E. (1990). Schizophrenic and depressed mothers: Relational deficits in parenting.Developmental Psychology, 26, 31–39.
Graham, P., & Stevenson, J. (1985). A twin study of genetic influences on behavioral deviance.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24, 33–41.
Griest, D. L., Forehand, R., Wells, K. C., & McMahon, R. J. (1980). An examination of differences between non clinic and behavior problem clinic-referred children and their mothers.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 24, 33–41.
Griest, D. L., Wells, K. C., & Forehand, R. (1979). An examination of predictors of maternal perceptions of maladjustment in clinic-referred children.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 88, 277–281.
Hammen, C., Gordon, D., Bürge, D., Adrian, C., Jaenicke, C., & Hiroto, D. (1987). Maternal affective disorders, illness, and stress: Risk for children's psychopathology.American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 736–741.
Hirsch, B. J., Moos, R. J., & Reischl, T. M. (1985). Psychosocial adjustment of adolescent children of a depressed, arthritic or normal parent.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95, 154–164.
Ivens, C., & Rehm, L. P. (1988). Assessment of childhood depression: Correspondence between reports by child, mother and father.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 742–747.
Jensen, P. S., Traylor, J., Xenakis, S. N., & Davis, H. (1988). Child psychopathology rating scales and interrater agreement: I. Parents' gender and psychiatric status.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 442–450.
Joreskog, K. G., & Sorbom, D. (1989).LJSREL 7: User's reference guide. Mooresville, IN: Scientific Software.
Lee, C. M., & Gotlib, I. H. (1989). Maternal depression and child adjustment: A longitudinal analysis.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98, 78–85.
Moretti, M. M., Fine, S., Haley, G., & Marriage, K. (1985). Childhood and adolescent depression: Child-report versus parent-report information.Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24, 298–302.
Orvaschel, H., Walsh-Allis, G., & Ye, W. (1988). Psychopathology in children of parents with recurrent depression.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 16, 17–28.
Panaccione, V. F., & Wahler, R. G. (1986). Child behavior, maternal depression, and social coercion as factors in the quality of child care.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, 263–278.
Pilowsky, I., & Boulton, D. M. (1970). Development of a questionnaire-based decision rule for classifying depressed patients.British Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 647.
Pilowsky, I., Levine, S., & Boulton, D. M. (1969). The classification of depression by numerical taxonomy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 115, 937–945.
Radke-Yarrow, M., Cummings, E. M., Kuzynski, L., & Chapman, M. (1985). Patterns of attachment in two and three year olds in normal families and families with parental depression.Child Development, 36, 884–893.
Richters, J. E. (1992). Depressed mothers as informants about their children: A critical review of the evidence for distortion.Psychological Bulletin, 112, 485–499.
Richters, J., & Pellegrini, D. (1989). Depressed mothers' judgments about their children: An examination of the depression-distortion hypothesis.Child Development, 60, 1068–1075.
Rickard, K. M. Forehand, R., Wells, K. C.s Griest, D. L., & McMahon, R. J. (1981). Factors in the referral of children for behavioural treatment: A comparison of mothers of clinic-referred deviant, clinic-referred non-deviant and non-clinic children.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 19, 201–205.
Rutter, M. (1990). Commentary: Some focus and process considerations regarding effects of parental depression on children.Developmental Psychology, 26, 60–67.
Rutter, M., Tizard, J., & Whitmore, K. (1970).Education, health and behaviour. London: Longman.
Schaughency, E. A., & Lahey, B. B. (1985). Mothers' and fathers' perceptions of child deviance: Roles of child behavior, parental depression, and marital satisfaction.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 718–723.
Webster-Stratton, C. (1988). Mothers' and fathers' perceptions of child deviance: Roles of parent and child behaviors and parent adjustment.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 909–915.
Weissman, M. (1988). Psychopathology in the children of depressed parents: Direct interview studies. In D. L. Dunner, E. S. Gershon, & J. E. Barrett (Eds.),Relatives at risk for mental disorder. New York: Raven Press.
Weissman, M., Wickramarante, P., Warner, U., John, K., Prusoff, B. A., Merikangas, K. R., & Gammon, D. (1987). Assessing psychiatric disorders in children: Discrepancies between mothers' and childrens' reports.Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 747–753.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was funded by grants from the Health Research Council of New Zealand.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fergusson, D.M., Lynskey, M.T. & Horwood, L.J. The effect of maternal depression on maternal ratings of child behavior. J Abnorm Child Psychol 21, 245–269 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00917534
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00917534