Socioeconomic pathways to depressive symptoms in adulthood: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979

► Parents' education had an inverse relationship with respondents' depressive symptoms in adulthood. ► This relationship was fully explained by respondents' education. ► In turn, the effect of respondent's education was also largely mediated by their household income. ► Adult depressive symptoms are the outcome of life course pathways of social attainment rooted in parents' education. ► Increasing educational opportunities may break the intergenerational transmission of low status and poor mental health.