Psychopathology in Children of Inpatients With Depression: A Controlled Study

One quarter of 29 parents hospitalized for depression had children with episodes of depression (eight out of a total of 75 children). None of the children in 41 families with well parents had episodes of depression (a total of 152 children). The differences were significant at the .01 level. It is suggested that symptoms "equivalent" to depression such as hyperactivity, deviant behavior, and learning difficulties are not required in establishing clinical depression in childhood. The methodological shortcomings in this study were discussed.