Child abuse has a negative impact on the mental health of the victims into adulthood, according to linked data from 2 large longitudinal cohorts of women (n=8,882) and their offspring (n=11,402).

Investigators looked at 3 potential ways maternal abuse experience could be linked to depression in offspring:

• Maternal mental health

• Family characteristics

• Offspring's own experience of abuse

Researchers found that:

• Offspring of women who faced severe child abuse were 1.78 times more likely to experience high depressive symptoms vs offspring of women who experienced no child abuse.

• They were also 2.47 times as likely to have persistent high depressive symptoms.

• Maternal mental health accounted for nearly 21% of the elevated risk of high depressive symptoms, whereas offspring exposure accounted for 30.3% of the elevated risk.

• Disparities in offspring depressive symptoms by maternal abuse exposure were evident at 12 years and persisted through age 31.

Citation: Roberts A, Chen Y, Siopen N, et al. Maternal experience of abuse in childhood and depressive symptoms in adolescent and adult offspring: a 21-year longitudinal study. Depress Anxiety. 2015;32(10):709-719.