Abstract

The basic assumption of this study is that children are adversely affected by having a parent who often feels depressed, and that this childhood experience adversely affects behaviour in the teen years. We expect girls to be affected differently from boys. Longitudinal data is assembled to examine this possibility and presented in the form of tables and charts. Analysis of behaviour is also conducted in order to identify the main behaviours affected.

In 1995 28% of the children aged 6 to 11 had parents who reported that they felt depressed at least one day in the previous week. Girls and boys were about equally likely to have a depressed parent in 1995, though in Newfoundland and Saskatchewan boys were most likely to live in depressed homes (31%), and in British Columbia girls were most likely to live in depressed homes (32%). Nova Scotia was the healthiest in this respect. Children with more educated parents, especially boys, were less likely to live in depressed homes. The same is true for children, especially boys, in relatively high incomes.

Children in homes where both parents worked were less likely to live in depressed homes. Weekly worship, especially by the parent of boys, seems helpful. The child's weekly attendance did not appear to help the parent much though, especially weekly attendance by boys. Liberal Protestants seem least prone to feelings of depression, and conservative Christians the most.

The children surveyed in 1995 were interviewed eight years later regarding their behaviour, attitudes, and other aspects of their situation. Both girls and boys who smoke weekly are more likely than non-smokers to have come from depressed homes. Teen boys are more prone to report intoxication if they came from depressed homes. And both girls and boys who claim to have had sex are more likely than the celibate to have come from depressed homes, and to have sex if they grew up in homes in which their main parent had reported feeling depressed at least one day in the week preceding the survey interview in 1995.

Although the tables suggest many future teen problems associated with depression of a parent, there are very few teen behaviours that are influenced by having had a depressed parent, after controlling for the other factors. Several control factors, however, were found to be important.

For example, we find that teens were more likely to report smoking marijuana the older they were. Girls were more likely to report marijuana smoking if their main parent had been single rather than married, and lived in Ontario, Quebec, or British Columbia rather than in the Prairie provinces. Boys were more likely to smoke marijuana the higher the household income had been, if liberal Protestant, and if they lived in Quebec rather than Ontario, or the Atlantic provinces. In another analysis we learn that both girls and boys are less likely to have reported sexual intercourse, the younger they were, the more educated their main parent, if they lived in Ontario rather than in Quebec or the Atlantic provinces, and if their parents had been married rather than cohabiting or being separated or divorced. Some 42% of girls reported sexual intercourse, and 38% of boys.

In the results for worship frequency by girls we find one of the rare instances in which the depression of the parent is a factor in teen behaviour, and it is a negative force as expected. Worship frequency in 2003 was 12 times a year for girls, and 11 times a year for boys. Among both girls and boys the frequency was lower if they were liberal Protestant in 1995, and lived in Quebec. Among girls, worship frequency was lower if their main parent felt depressed in 1995, and was any other marital status but married. Girls worshipped more frequently, the higher the education of their main parent. Boys worshipped more frequently, the older their main parent in 1995.