How Parents' Depression Affects Kids' Grades

Children perform worse in school when their parents are diagnosed with depression, suggests a study from Sweden.

The study found a significant negative link between parents’ depression and kids

We obviously know that depression is a bad thing like any other mental health outcome, so for parents or guardians, a vulnerable population would be their children.

Previous studies found children with depressed parents are more likely to have problems with brain development, behavior and emotions, along with other psychiatric problems. Few studies have looked at school performance, however.

Three percent of the mothers and about 2 percent of fathers were diagnosed with depression before their children finished their last required year of school, which occurs around age 16 in Sweden.

Overall, when parents were diagnosed with depression during their children’s lifetime, the kids’ grades suffered.

 A mother’s depression appeared to affect daughters more than sons, this was noted.

On the range of factors that influence a child’s school performance, parental depression falls between a family’s economic status and parental education, which is one of the biggest factors in determining a child’s success in school.

The researchers caution that depression may have been under measured in the population. Also, they can’t say that a parent’s depression actually causes children to perform worse in school.

Therefore,it is necessary that parents need to be treated and sometimes treatment of  children is inclusive, but  starting with the parents first is expedient since they cause the depression.

Research suggests that depression may run in families.