The Parental Depression and Infant Development study focuses on parent-infant interactions. Participants in the study are either from a group of people who were diagnosed with depression during adolescence or from a comparison group. The overall goal of the OADP is to study the developmental course of depression in people who were diagnosed as part of a community-wide project.
Data collection takes place in Oregon.
The goal of the Parental Depression and Infant Development project is to examine the effects of depression on parenting behavior and on infant development. Two questions guide our research efforts. We will also examine how the course of depression, the presence of current symptoms, and a history of depression in both parents can influence parents' and infants' behavior. In addition, because this study is one of few to include fathers, the Affect Analysis Group will also study similarities and differences of mothers and fathers in parenting and emotional behavior. To take part in the study, parents and infants visit the laboratory in Oregon first when infants are 3 months old and again when infants are 6 months old.