Age- and gender-specific effects of parental depression: A commentary.

Depressive sumptoms were characterized as a female-typic response class with depressive episodes as the amplification of age- and gerder-specific normal socialization practices. The parenting skill deficits of parents with depression may contribute to this outxome by increasing stressful life circumstances. The need for studies of the precise functonal effects of intrafamilial processes that contribute to the intergenerational transmission of depression is discussed, including the importance of specific behavior patterns characteristic of depressed individuals