Depression and parenting: the need for improved intervention models

Megan Galbally; Andrew J Lewis

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.008

Depression and parenting: the need for improved intervention models

Curr Opin Psychol. 2017 Jun:15:61-65. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.008. Epub 2017 Feb 20.

Authors

Megan Galbally¹, Andrew J Lewis²

Affiliations

¹ School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Australia; Fiona Stanley Hospital, Australia; Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research, WA, Australia. Electronic address: m.galbally@murdoch.edu.au.
² School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Australia; Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research, WA, Australia.

PMID: 28813270
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.008

Abstract

The impact of maternal depression on parenting is well established and there is a clear interaction between maternal depression and parenting that is predictive of child outcomes. The research on paternal depression is more limited but suggests the father's mental health may be an independent risk factor for both parenting and child outcomes. There is insufficient evidence that treatment of depression alone - be it through pharmacological or psychological interventions - is able to substantially reduce the impact of depression on child outcomes. The evidence of interventions aimed at parenting and/or child outcomes in the context of depression is limited and the findings that are available are mixed.

Publication types

Review