Adult Psychosocial Assets and Depressive Mood Over Time

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Abstract
This paper discusses contrasting assumptions in psychiatric epidemiological research regarding the relative significance of childhood and adult social experiences as etiological factors in adult psychopathology. It delineates a set of hypotheses that relate internal parental representations to subsequent depressed mood and to psychosocial assets assumed to mediate the relationships between parental representations and mood states. These hypotheses were prospectively tested using a cohort of medical students surveyed at medical school entrance and 7 months later. The data show that earlier paternal affectivity perceived at time 1 is inversely predictive of time 2 depressed mood, holding time 1 mood constant, whereas earlier maternal and paternal overprotection perceived at time 1 are directly predictive of time 2 depressed mood, holding time 1 mood constant. In addition, parental representations at time 1 are significantly linked to particular personality characteristics at time 1 and 2. However, it is not clear whether these personality characteristics are antecedents or consequences of depressed mood. The paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical and methological issues involved in the retrospective assessment of remote social experiences as etiological factors in adult psychopathology.