Depression And Children – How To Predict
Currently 15% of preschoolers suffer from high levels of depression and anxiety. A recent paper published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found two significant predictors for childhood depression.
The first and top predictor for depression later in life is a difficult temperament at five months of age. “a child being fussy, being irritable, difficult to soothe. And a child that is particularly challenged by novel situations. So a child that is slow to adapt, or is fearful in new situations.” Said Sylvanna Cote from the University of Montreal.
The second big predictor is lifetime maternal depression, “We know from studies that are genetically informative, so twin studies or studies that have measures of the genotype of people, that depression runs in families. But of course genetics is not destiny, even though it’s an important factor. So someone who is at risk because of genetic vulnerability may go on to develop depression or not, depending on the quality of care. And the quality of the family environment. So it’s very important to realize that environment is a major factor and we can change people’s environment.”
Current treatment prescribed is medication and cognitive behavioral therapy and outcomes have been highly successful.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=predictors-of-preschool-depression-09-08-31
This is great material. I often mention in my articles that personality doesn’t change from very early on in our lives. This information about how a child acts at 5 months relating to their future chances for depression is even more representative than I thought.
The way we act when we are young, or very young in this case, says loads about how our response patterns will be twenty years later, and onward.
As far as depression, it makes sense that a child that is challenged or slow to adapt to new situations would start to cower in fear, as new situations come up more and more during growth.
Thanks for this material.