(PS3-B30) Cross Generational Transmission of Depression: The Role of Maternal Depression and Maternal Reward Sensitivity

The reward positivity (RewP), is a positive deflection in the event-related potential (ERP) component of the electroencephalogram (EEG) that is sensitive to rewards or gains. RewP may be a potential risk factor for depression in adolescents. A second risk factor of adolescent depression is the history of maternal depression. Therefore, examining maternal reward-processing in conjunction with maternal depressive symptoms may lead to better prediction of depressive symptoms in adolescents. 

As part of a larger study of cross generational transmission of depression, we asked 195 mother/child dyads to report on their symptoms of depression as well as complete a monetary guessing task designed to measure ERPs to gains and loss, and the difference between the two (∆RewP).

Mother’s rating of their child’s depression, maternal depression, and maternal reward positivity (∆RewP) interacted to predict child’s rating of their own depression. Simple effects analysis revealed that only in non-depressed mothers who endorsed mild to moderate depression in their children, mother’s reward-sensitivity was positively correlated (r = 0.33, p = .01) with their child’s self-report of depression.

These findings suggest that enhanced reward-sensitivity in non-depressed mothers may be associated with increased depression in their adolescents. Although research suggests a negative correlation between reward-sensitivity and depressive symptoms, to our knowledge no studies have examined the relationship between depression in children and neural measures of reward sensitivity in their mothers. Therefore, the relationship between reward-sensitivity and depression may differ when reward-sensitivity is measured cross-generationally. One possible explanation for this finding may be that non-depressed reward sensitive mothers may be less involved in behaviorally activating their already depressed offspring, resulting in the maintenance of depressive symptoms. Thus, these findings suggest the importance of considering maternal reward sensitivity in possible treatments for depressed adolescents.