Children With Early-Onset Disruptive Behavior: Parental Mental Disorders Predict Poor Psychosocial Functioning in Adolescence

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Parental mental disorders (MD) and child early-onset disruptive behavior (DB) are well-established risk factors for poor outcomes in adolescence. However, it is not clear whether parental MD increases risk of future maladjustment among children who already display DB. METHOD: Parents of 9-year-old children reported on child DB, while a patient registry was used to determine parental MD. At follow-ups at 15 (N = 6319) and 18 years (N = 3068) information about various problems were collected via registries, parent- and, self-reports. RESULTS: In the total sample, child DB was related to all outcomes (mean odds ratio [OR] = 1.18; range = 1.07-1.51; ps < .01), paternal MD to criminality, aggression, truancy, poor school performance, and a cumulative risk index of poor functioning, and maternal MD to peer problems, rule-breaking, and truancy (mean OR = 1.67; range = 1.19-2.71; ps < .05). In the subsample of children with DB, paternal MD predicted criminality, consequences of antisocial behavior, truancy, poor school performance, and cumulative risk, while maternal MD predicted peer problems (mean OR = 1.94; range = 1.30-2.40; ps < .05). CONCLUSION: This study provides novel evidence that parental MD puts 9-year-olds with DB at risk for negative outcomes in adolescence. Additionally, paternal MD is a better predictor than maternal MD, regardless of child DB at age 9, suggesting that fathers should be given increased attention in future research. Treatment-as-usual of children with DB could be augmented with additional screening and, if necessary, treatment of mental health problems in their parents.