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Healthier
Kids Less Depressed Later in Life
Excerpt
By Kristen Demos, Reuters Health
UPPSALA,
Sweden (Reuters Health) - Parental evaluations of the overall
health of their young child may be helpful in predicting an increased
risk of depression in adolescence, according to new research presented
here Thursday at the 10th European Conference on Developmental
Psychology.
In a 17-year
study, researchers from the University of Helsinki, Finland, sent
out more than 3,000 questionnaires to parents of healthy children
as young as 3 years old. Every third year after, researchers mailed
the questionnaires again. The final follow-up study included 1,833
responses.
The questionnaires,
completed by the parents at home, included the question: ``How
would you describe the general health of your child at the moment?''
The answer was given on a 3-point scale ranging from very good
to average.
``Depression
and depressive tendencies start at an early age,'' researcher
Carla Schubert told Reuters Health. ``This question is very difficult
for parents. Parents don't want to admit that their child is depressed.
The generality of the question may make it easier for parents
to identify more general symptoms rather than a specific symptom
of depression.''
Responses
to the question concerning the general health of the child could
include both the physical and psychological health of the child,
Schubert explained.
Twelve and
17 years after the study began, the researchers assessed the depressive
tendencies of the children. They found that children with poorer
health evaluations experienced higher levels of depressive tendencies
during their teenage or adult years. Children whose parents rated
their health as ``average'' at the beginning of the study later
scored an average of 51.71 on the depression score. Those rated
as being in ``very good'' health scored an average of 45.39, a
statistically significant difference.
``You never
have the right tools to (completely) determine if someone might
become depressed, but with this one question only, you have a
cheap tool,'' Schubert told Reuters Health. ''Preventative tools
are rare...and are often time-consuming and expensive. This is
a gift of significant value regarding the later development of
the child.''
Reference
Source 89
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