Kid Connections Might Matter Later
Poor sibling relationships are linked to adult depression

(HealthDay News) -- Boys who don't have a close relationship with their siblings appear to be at increased risk for depression when they're adults.

Just why this happens, though, remains unclear.

Researchers analyzed data collected on 229 men from the time they were teens until they were in their late 50s. The analysis included information on their quality of life, family history of depression, the quality of parenting the men had, and their relationships with brothers and sisters.

Men "who said they didn't have a close relationship with even one of their siblings were more likely to be depressed by the time they were 50," Dr. Robert Waldinger, co-director of the Study of Adult Development at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston , told HealthDay .

"Having a close relationship with even one of your siblings made you less likely to be depressed," he noted. A family history of depression also predicted depression at age 50, according to the study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry .

At this point, however, the researchers could only speculate about what might be behind the connection.

"It could be that not being close to a sibling is an early harbinger of later depression. Or it could be that being close to a sibling helps you develop your skills dealing with peers," Waldinger said.

Dr. Gregory Simon, a psychiatrist and mental health researcher at the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle , said the study offers important new insight into the origins of mental illness. He was not involved in the research.

"This long-term study allows a unique opportunity to examine the relationship between early life development and long-term risk for common mental health and substance use problems," Simon told HealthDay .

It suggests a strong association between childhood sibling relationships and adult depression, but the direction of that association can't be determined, he said.

"It is certainly possible that poor relationships with siblings during childhood have significant and enduring negative effects on mental health," Simon said. "It is also possible, however, that poor relationships with siblings are one of the early signs of depressive illness."

On the Web

To learn more about depression, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Robert Waldinger, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and co-director, Study of Adult Development, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; Gregory Simon, M.D., M.P.H., psychiatrist and mental health researcher, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle; June 1, 2007, American Journal of Psychiatry
Author: Robert Preidt
Publication Date: May 31, 2008
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