Primary Attachment Figures and Depressive Symptoms in Young Adults

Abstract

Depression is prevalent among young adults in the Netherlands, which impacts both personal lives and the Dutch society. Parent-child relationship quality is known to be an important predictor of developing depression as a young adult, as parents are important attachment figures. Literature points out that the relation with one’s mother is a stronger predictor for depression compared to the relation with one’s father. It is however not clear whether child gender is a moderator for these effects. Also, the moderating effect of romantic relationship quality has not been researched in the context of this research. To clear up these gaps and inconsistencies in the literature, a longitudinal study design was used (N= 1628) Dutch adolescents in two waves of age 12 and 18. Results show that mother-child relationship quality is a significant predictor of depression, whereas father-child relationship quality is not. Also, both gender and romantic relationship quality were not a significant moderator on the effect of mother-child relationship quality. Thus, it is important to consider the relationship with one’s mother when assessing the risk for depression. These results may also imply that the biggest influence of parents on children’s depression is before the age of 12.