Childhood mental health and major depression in later life: a survival analysis across 12 years

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between childhood mental health conditions and incident major depression in middle-aged and older adults. Method: This longitudinal panel study used 12 years of data from 27,220 adults aged 51 and older in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study. Childhood mental health conditions were assessed retrospectively with a question about having a depression, drug/alcohol, or other emotional problem before age 16. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Results: Childhood mental health conditions were reported by 6.04% of the unweighted sample (n = 1643) and were associated with a more than 2-fold higher hazard of major depression after adjusting for both childhood and adulthood factors (HR = 2.63; 95% CI: 2.38–2.90; p < 0.001). This main effect was stronger for adults with higher educational attainment, higher net wealth, and for non-Hispanic Black adults, compared with adults without a high school diploma, lower wealth, and non-Hispanic White adults. The association was weaker among those with greater adverse childhood experiences, lifetime trauma, and adulthood chronic disease burden, compared with those with less of these exposures. Conclusion: Childhood mental health condition has long-lasting consequences for depression risk in later life.