- Title
- The impact of childhood parental quality on mental health outcomes in older adults
- Creator
- Burns, R. A.; Loh, V.; Byles, J. E.; Kendig, H. L.
- Relation
- Aging and Mental Health Vol. 22, Issue 6, p. 819-825
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2017.1317331
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2018
- Description
- Objective: Parental bonding is cited as a determinant of mental health outcomes in childhood, adolescence and early-mid adulthood. Examination of the long-term impact for older adults is limited. We therefore examine the long-term risk of perceived poor parental bonding on mental health across the lifespan and into early-old age. Methods: Participants (N = 1255) were aged 60-64 years of age and drawn from the Australian Life Histories and Health study. Quality of parental bonding was assessed with the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Self-reported history of doctors' mental health diagnoses and current treatment for each participant was recorded. Current depression was assessed with the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-8 (CESD-8). Due to known gender differences in mental health rates across the lifespan, analyses were stratified by sex. Results: A bi-factor analysis of the PBI in a structural equation framework indicated perceived Poor Parental Quality as a risk for both ever and current depression for both sexes. For males, Over-Protective Fathers were a risk for ever and current depression, whilst overall Poor Parental Quality was a risk for reporting current depression treatment. Whilst a number of the risks associated with current depression and treatment were attenuated when controlling for current mood, parental quality remained a significant risk for having reported a lifetime diagnosis for depression and anxiety for men. Conclusion: Our results extend the existing literature base and demonstrate that mental health risk attributed to poor perceived parental quality continues across the life-course and into early-old age.
- Subject
- parental quality; mental health; depression; anxiety; life-histories
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1409534
- Identifier
- uon:36044
- Identifier
- ISSN:1360-7863
- Language
- eng
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