Symposium: Inter- and intra-generational transmission of mental health
Associations of quality of social support with affective symptoms from midlife to later life: evidence from the National Study of Health and Development (NSHD) (Alexandra Schmidt, University of Sussex)
Long-term effects of quality of social support on mental health are unclear. We investigated associations between quality of social support and affective symptoms from midlife to later life using data from the National Survey of Health and Development. Quality of social support (positive and negative) was assessed at age 53 with an adapted Close Persons Questionnaire. Affective symptoms were measured at ages 53, 60-64 and 69 using the General Health Questionnaire; longitudinal trajectories were derived using growth mixture modelling. Associations were examined using structural equation modelling, with covariate–class associations estimated using the R3STEP approach. Four trajectories were identified: no/low symptoms (83%), low and increasing (8%), consistently moderate/high (5%) and moderate/high and decreasing (4%). Negative social support was associated with affective symptoms at all ages (?: 0.09-0.16, p<.001) and with ‘consistently moderate/high trajectory’ (OR=1.65, 95%CI: 1.36, 2.01, p<.001). Negative social support is a potential modifiable target for prevention and intervention.
Does it Matter Who Reports? Parental Psychological Distress and Adolescent Emotional and Behavioural Outcomes Across Reporters and Parental Birth Sex (Ellen Thompson, University of Sussex)
The intergenerational transmission of mental health problems is well-established, yet little is known about how reporter type (mothers, fathers, and young people) influences this relationship. Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study, we examined associations between parental psychological distress at age 3 (Kessler 6) and adolescent emotional and behavioural problems at age 17 (SDQ), and whether these associations were moderated by reporter type (parent- vs self-report) or parental sex (mothers vs fathers), with multilevel structural equation modelling. Parental psychological distress was significantly associated with adolescent emotional problems (b = 0.102, 95% CI [0.083, 0.121]). This association was significantly weaker when emotional problems were self-reported by adolescents versus parent-reported (b = -0.058, 95% CI [-0.080, -0.037]), and for fathers versus mothers (b = -0.053, 95% CI [-0.090, -0.016]). Our findings highlight the importance of considering both reporter type and parental birth sex when examining the intergenerational transmission of mental health problems.
Intergenerational Transmission of Mental Health: The mediating role of social disadvantage (Darya Gaysina, University of Sussex)
We investigated relationships between maternal and offspring’s mental health and the role of early social disadvantage using data from the Millennium Cohort Study. Maternal (wave 4) and offspring (wave 7) mental health was measured using Kessler 6 Scale, and early social disadvantage (wave 4) – with mother’s education, employment, marital status, housing, and poverty. The path model was adjusted for mother age and ethnicity, and the offspring’s sex. The path model revealed the significant direct effect of mothers’ K6 scores(wave 4) on their offspring’s K6 scores (wave 7): B = .0855, SE = .0124, t = 6.8764, p < .001, 95% CI [0.0611, 0.1098]. Additionally, the indirect effect through social disadvantage was also significant: B = .0063, BootSE = .0020, 95% CI [0.0025, 0.0105], indicating partial mediation. These findings suggest that mental health support should focus on early exposure to social disadvantages to help reduce intergenerational effect on mental health.
