HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by RITSHER, J. E. B. Articles by DOHRENWEND, B. P. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by RITSHER, J. E. B. Articles by DOHRENWEND, B. P.

Inter-generational longitudinal study of social class and depression: a test of social causation and social selection models

Division of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York and Center for Health Care Evaluation, Menlo Park, California, USA

VIRGINIA WARNER, MPH

Division of Clinical-Genetic Epidemiology

JEFFREY G. JOHNSON, PhD

Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, USA

BRUCE P. DOHRENWEND, PhD

Department of Psychiatry and Division of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA

Correspondence: Dr Jennifer E. B. Ritsher, Center for Health Care Evaluation, VA Health Care System (152) and Stanford University School of Medicine, 795 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. E-mail: jennifer{at}ritsher.net

Declaration of interest No conflict of interest. Funding is detailed in Acknowledgements.

ABSTRACT

Background Generations of epidemiologists have documented an association between low socio-economic status (SES) and depression (variously defined), but debate continues as to which is the causative factor.

Aims To test the extent to which social causation (low SES causing depression) and social selection (depression causing low SES) processes are in evidence in an inter-generational longitudinal study.

Method Participants (n=756) were interviewed up to four times over 17 years using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS).

Results Low parental education was associated with increased risk for offspring depression, even after controlling for parental depression, offspring gender and offspring age. Neither parental nor offspring depression predicted later levels of offspring occupation, education or income.

Conclusion There is evidence for an effect of parental SES on offspring depression (social causation) but not for an effect of either parental or offspring depression on offspring SES (social selection).

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. T. A. CHENG and B. COOPER Introduction The British Journal of Psychiatry, April 1, 2001; 178 (40): s1 - s2. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. COOPER Nature, nurture and mental disorder: old concepts in the new millennium The British Journal of Psychiatry, April 1, 2001; 178 (40): s91 - s101. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]