An Investigation of Maternal and Adolescent Depressed Mood Using a Latent Trait-State Model

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Abstract
A latent trait-state model was used with data from 4 waves of measurement to investigate several aspects of maternal and adolescent depressed mood with a sample of 536 mothers and their adolescent offspring. The LTS model provides a novel method of decomposing repeated measures data into components representing both stable and fluctuating features of attributes, in this application of depressed mood for mothers and their adolescent offspring. The percentage of variance attributable to trait versus state components of depressed mood, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale Radloff, 1977, was approximately equal for mothers and their offspring, suggesting substantial stable i.e. trait and fluctuating i.e. state features of depressed mood for adolescents and female adults. To investigate the equivalence of the correlation between scores for trait depression among mothers and daughters and mothers and sons, constrained group structural equation models were specified. Findings indicated that the hypothesis of equivalence could not be rejected and the resulting correlations were. 24 and. 27, respectively. Exogenous variables were differentially predictive of maternal versus adolescent trait depression. Maternal trait depression was predicted by lower family income, lower family cohesion, lower perceived social support, and higher parental role stress. Adolescent trait depression was predicted by lower perceived family support, lower grade point average, more stressful life events, and female gender.

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