Effects of Childhood Chronic Illness on Depression Outcomes in Adulthood

Abstract

The present study evaluated the impacts of a chronic illness diagnosis in childhood on long-term depression levels in adulthood. Additionally, this study sought to determine whether the age at which a diagnosis was received and the parenting styles of the caregivers of the patient influenced these outcomes. Participants were 8,984 adults from a cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth that began in 1997. Results suggest that there are not significant differences in the levels of depression of adults with and without a chronic illness. Findings also suggest that the age at which a participant with a chronic illness was diagnosed does not have a significant influence on their long-term depressive symptoms. Additionally, these results suggest that the presence of either an authoritarian or an uninvolved parenting style in maternal caregivers and an authoritarian parenting style in paternal caregivers significantly increase depression outcomes. Understanding these influences is essential for providing the best quality of well-rounded care for pediatric patients to ensure long-term positive outcomes.