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This study investigates how the timing of parental depression during pregnancy and early life affects mental health symptoms in offspring into adulthood.

April 12, 2026Open Access

Timing of Exposure to Parental Depression From Pregnancy to Young Adulthood and Mental Health in Adult Offspring

Key Points

This study investigates how the timing of parental depression during pregnancy and early life affects mental health symptoms in offspring into adulthood.
Cohort study design examining 20 years of data.
Analyzed associations between maternal and paternal depression and offspring psychiatric symptoms.
Focused on the pregnancy period as a sensitive time for maternal depression effects.
Distinct temporal associations were identified between both maternal and paternal depression and offspring's psychiatric symptoms.
Pregnancy was particularly critical in linking maternal depression to offspring psychotic experiences.
The findings underscore the importance of early parental mental health support.

Abstract

In this cohort study, analyses of 2 decades of data found distinct temporal associations between maternal and paternal depression and offspring psychiatric symptoms, and pregnancy was found to be a sensitive period in the association between maternal depression and offspring psychotic experiences. The findings suggest a substantial role of timing for specifying the association between parental depression and psychiatric outcomes in young adults and emphasize the need to support parental mental health from pregnancy onward.

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