Parental Absence During Childhood and Depression in Later Life

Long-term consequences of parental absence during childhood for adult depression are examined using 1987–1988 National Survey of Families and Households data. Whites and African Americans, male and female, separated from a parent score higher on a measure of depression than those raised in continuously intact families. Hispanic males and females show no such differences. All reasons for parental absence (divorce, death, out-of-wedlock birth, and others) relate to elevated depression in one or another group. Educational attainment and current marital status mediated a moderate proportion of the estimated effect for whites and African American females.