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

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.