Abstract
BACKGROUND: Offspring of patients with depressive and/or anxiety disorders are at high risk of developing a similar disorder themselves. Early recognition and treatment may have substantial effects on prognosis. The main aim of this study was to examine the time to initial help-seeking and its determinants in offspring after the first onset of a mood and/or anxiety disorder.
METHODS: Data are presented of 215 offspring with a mood and/or anxiety disorder participating in a cohort study with 10 year follow-up. We determined age of disorder onset and age of initial help-seeking. Offspring characteristics (gender, IQ, age of onset, disorder type, suicidal ideation) and family characteristics (socioeconomic status, family functioning) were investigated as potential predictors of the time to initial help-seeking.
RESULTS: The estimated overall proportion of offspring of depressed/anxious patients who eventually seek help after onset of a mood and/or anxiety disorder was 91.9%. The time to initial help-seeking was more than two years in 39.6% of the offspring. Being female, having a mood disorder or comorbid mood and anxiety disorder (relative to anxiety) and a disorder onset in adolescence or adulthood (relative to childhood) predicted a shorter time to initial help-seeking.
LIMITATIONS: Baseline information relied on retrospective reports. Age of onsets and age of initial help-seeking may therefore be subject to recall bias.
CONCLUSION: Although most offspring eventually seek help after onset of a mood/anxiety disorder, delays in help-seeking were common, especially in specific subgroups of patients. This information may help to develop targeted strategies to reduce help-seeking delays.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 618-626 |
Journal | Journal of Affective Disorders |
Volume | 227 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- adolescents
- adults
- anxiety disorders
- females
- males
- mood disorders
- parents