Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6815667 | Psychiatry Research | 2013 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Children of depressed parents are at increased risk of developing mood disorders but mechanisms of intrafamilial transmission are currently unclear. One rarely investigated area is the impact of depression on a parentâ²s everyday functioning. Currently there are no validated assessments of depression-specific parental impairment. The creation of such a measure would complement depression symptom counts, providing a more comprehensive account of the parentâ²s depression. We therefore aimed to develop a valid and reliable measure of impairment specifically associated with parental depression. In a longitudinal study of parents with recurrent unipolar depression and their offspring, we collected data from 337 parents. These participants completed the Depression Impairment Scale for Parents (DISP), a questionnaire assessing depression-associated impairment in multiple domains of functioning. Factor analysis revealed that this measure consisted of two factors - impairment in routine tasks/activities and impairment in family functioning - that together accounted for 51.04% of variance. The scale evidenced good internal consistency (Cronbachâ²s alpha=0.82). The DISP also displayed good construct and criterion validity as evidenced by significant associations with established measures of depression severity and global impairment. These results demonstrate that the DISP is a valid and reliable measure of depression-associated impairment in parents.
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Authors
Katie Lewis, Kit Elam, Ruth Sellers, Kimberly Rhoades, Rhys Bevan Jones, Ajay Thapar, Frances Rice, Stephan Collishaw, Gordon Harold, Anita Thapar,