Mother's accumulation of chronic health conditions and early midlife adult children's depressive symptoms: differences between daughters and sons.

Rising chronic health conditions in the US present a significant public health issue with implications that extend beyond individuals to their family members. We examined how the accumulation of mother's chronic health conditions (ranging from none to three or more) and the timing of first diagnosis were associated with early midlife children's depressive symptoms. We also examined variation across gender of early midlife children. Using data from Waves I, IV and V of Add Health and Waves I and II of the Add Health Parent Study (n=1,285), we found that 73 per cent of mothers reported at least one chronic health condition by their early 60s. We also found that early midlife children whose mothers had three or more chronic health conditions had significantly greater depressive symptoms, with stronger associations among daughters than sons. Early midlife children whose mothers were first diagnosed with a chronic health condition before their birth had significantly greater depressive symptoms compared to those whose mothers were first diagnosed when their children were ages 18-26. These findings highlight the importance of both mother's accumulation of chronic health conditions and timing of diagnosis for early midlife children's depressive symptoms.