Mother’s Personality Can Affect Child’s Mental Health

Summary: According to researchers, mothers who express dysfunctional personality traits put their children at increased risk of developing psychological problems later in life.

Source: University of Bristol.

Scientists have looked at over 8,000 parents and children in Children of the 90s and found that the children of women with personality traits associated with emotional and relationship difficulties were at greater risk of depression, anxiety and self-harm in their late teens than their peers.

The researchers from the universities of Bristol, Exeter and King’s College London, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, found that the teenagers were more at risk of these conditions if their mother was sensation-seeking, impulsive, angry, suspicious or detached during their childhood. The more of these personality traits the mother had, the greater the risk to her child’s mental health.

For example, if the mother had high scores on three or more of these personality traits, her child was more than twice as likely to be of risk of depression compared to teenagers whose mothers with low scores on these traits. They were also more at risk of anxiety and self-harm but to a lesser degree than depression.

This was the case regardless of whether or not the mother herself suffered from depression.

It also held true even after a range of other key factors associated with such personality traits were considered. These included the mother’s education, her age when she gave birth, whether or not she was a single parent, whether she was a binge drinker when her child was young, whether she smoked, her family income, financial problems, and any history of partner violence.

The same risk of depression was not found when fathers had these personality traits, which could rule out a simple genetic explanation but also suggests that father’s must influence their children in different ways to mothers.

According to the researchers, this is the first time the impact of a mother’s personality on her child’s future mental health has been assessed in such a large group of people who have been studied for such a long period of time – from when they were in utero in 1991 or 1992 to the present day (now aged 25 or 26).

Dr Rebecca Pearson, the paper’s lead author and Lecturer in Psychiatric Epidemiology in the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol, said: “Mental-health conditions, notably depression, are some of the world’s biggest health problems. We know that if a parent has mental-health problems themselves their child is also at greater risk but we know much less about the role of parent’s personality. Understanding what puts a child at risk of developing mental-health problems later in life is crucial if we want to take steps to stop them happening in the first place or to treat them effectively if they do.”

Dr Pearson and her team analysed data gathered from parents about their own personality when their children were aged nine. They then compared this with information gathered from their children about their mental health at the age of 18. Altogether, the researchers analysed information on 8,035 parents and children.

Explaining what she has discovered, Dr Pearson said:”We don’t know why these aspects of a mother’s personality can affect her child in this way. But there are a number of potential explanations which should be explored further.

“All of the personality traits we assessed are related to emotional and relationship difficulties. In the context of motherhood, this may make responding to the child’s emotions and building a consistent, secure relationship with them more difficult.

“For example, if the mother is suspicious of, or detached from, her child the child may find it harder to build a strong emotional attachment to their mother, which can affect the child’s emotional development and relationships with others.

“Second, if the mother is prone to impulsive behaviour, she may struggle to maintain consistency and her child may feel insecure and lacking boundaries. This can also lead to depression and anxiety.

“Third, if the mother is angry or impulsive, this may manifest in harsh or hostile behaviours towards her child, especially during disciplinary situations. This can cause the child to feel stressed and have problems managing their emotions. This in turn can lead to self-harm, depression and anxiety.”

Image shows a woman looking out a window.
According to the researchers, this is the first time the impact of a mother’s personality on her child’s future mental health has been assessed in such a large group of people who have been studied for such a long period of time – from when they were in utero in 1991 or 1992 to the present day (now aged 25 or 26). NeuroscienceNews.com image is adapted from the University of Bristol news release.

Dr Paul Moran, the paper’s senior author and Reader in Psychiatry in the School of Social and Community Medicine at Bristol, said: “Very few studies have looked at the link between a mother’s personality traits and the future mental health of her children. Our findings suggest that mothers who are prone to being sensation-seeking, impulsive, angry, suspicious or detached, are at greater risk of having children, who themselves later experience serious mental health problems.

“Although our findings do not mean that a mother’s personality is causally related to the appearance of mental health problems in her children, mothers with these particular personality traits may benefit from additional support. Future research will help us to understand the best ways of providing such support.”

About this neuroscience research article

About Children of the 90s

Based at the University of Bristol, Children of the 90s, also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), is a long-term health-research project that enrolled more than 14,000 pregnant women in 1991 and 1992. It has been charting the health and development of the parents and their children ever since and is currently recruiting the children of the original children into the study. It receives core funding from the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the University of Bristol. Find out more.

Source: University of Bristol
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is adapted from the University of Bristol news release.
Original Research: Full open access research for “Impact of dysfunctional maternal personality traits on risk of offspring depression, anxiety and self-harm at age 18 years: a population-based longitudinal study” by R. M. Pearson, A. Campbell, L. M. Howard, M. H. Bornstein, H. O’Mahen, B. Mars, and P. Moran in Pychological Medicine. Published online June 6 2017 doi:10.1017/S0033291717001246

Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

[cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]University of Bristol “Mother’s Personality Can Affect Child’s Mental Health.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 6 June 2017.
<https://neurosciencenews.com/mental-health-mother-personality-6843/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]University of Bristol (2017, June 6). Mother’s Personality Can Affect Child’s Mental Health. NeuroscienceNew. Retrieved June 6, 2017 from https://neurosciencenews.com/mental-health-mother-personality-6843/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]University of Bristol “Mother’s Personality Can Affect Child’s Mental Health.” https://neurosciencenews.com/mental-health-mother-personality-6843/ (accessed June 6, 2017).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]


Abstract

Impact of dysfunctional maternal personality traits on risk of offspring depression, anxiety and self-harm at age 18 years: a population-based longitudinal study

The impact of underlying parental psychological vulnerability on the future mental health of offspring is not fully understood. Using a prospective cohort design, we investigated the association between dysfunctional parental personality traits and risks of offspring self-harm, depression and anxiety.

The association between dysfunctional parental personality traits (monotony avoidance, impulsivity, anger, suspicion, and detachment), measured in both mothers and fathers when offspring were age 9 years, and risk of offspring depression, anxiety and self-harm at age 18 years, was investigated in a population-based cohort (ALSPAC) from over 8000 parents and children.

Higher levels of dysfunctional maternal, but not paternal, personality traits were associated with an increased risk of self-harm, depression, and anxiety in offspring. Maternal associations were best explained by the accumulation of dysfunctional traits.

Associations were strongest for offspring depression: Offspring of mothers with three or more dysfunctional personality traits were 2.27 (1.45–3.54, p < 0.001) times as likely to be depressed, compared with offspring of mothers with no dysfunctional personality traits, independently of maternal depression and other variables.

The accumulation of dysfunctional maternal personality traits is associated with the risk of self-harm, depression, anxiety in offspring independently of maternal depression and other confounding variables. The absence of associations for equivalent paternal traits makes a genetic explanation for the findings unlikely. Further research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Mothers with high levels of dysfunctional personality traits may benefit from additional support to reduce the risk of adverse psychological outcomes occurring in their offspring.

“Impact of dysfunctional maternal personality traits on risk of offspring depression, anxiety and self-harm at age 18 years: a population-based longitudinal study” by R. M. Pearson, A. Campbell, L. M. Howard, M. H. Bornstein, H. O’Mahen, B. Mars, and P. Moran in Pychological Medicine. Published online June 6 2017 doi:10.1017/S0033291717001246

Feel free to share this Neuroscience News.
Join our Newsletter
I agree to have my personal information transferred to AWeber for Neuroscience Newsletter ( more information )
Sign up to receive our recent neuroscience headlines and summaries sent to your email once a day, totally free.
We hate spam and only use your email to contact you about newsletters. You can cancel your subscription any time.
  1. Very good article. Well composed and informative.
    Seems like it’s always the mother’s fault, if a child has some sort of issues. Be it mental or physical.
    That has been the norm for many many years.
    I love in America, my husband and I choice not to have children, in purpose. Durning the 70’s and 80’s that was frowned on. We had 40 good years together.

    We both had mother’s. There is the rub

    Mother’s were not nice people at all. His was country southern, mine was West coast city. The only reason i say this, mother’s can have the same behavior but be from different places.

    It seems to me, my mother enjoyed hurting me. As a very little child. Hit me, set me up to fall, blame Mr for every thing. The clergy told her to stop hitting me, because people wondered why I was always nursed up.

    This parent shit has been around for a long long time. You bet the mother can effect the child’s later behavior. I suggest to start your study before eight years of age. A lot of damage has already been done.

    But not all children turn out like the mother.

    Thank you for an excellent article. Yes mother’s will and do hurt their children, and nobody will see the bruises l.

Comments are closed.