LAUSR

Key Points Question Is exposure to parental intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or maternal depression during childhood associated with depression at age 18 years at the population and individual level? Findings In this cohort study of 5029 children born in 1991 to 1992 in the Avon region of southwest England, exposure to IPV or maternal depression in childhood was associated with 24% to 68% higher risk of having severe depressive symptoms at age 18 years. The estimation of an individual developing depression in adolescence based solely on information about parental IPV or maternal depression is poor. Meaning Prevention of IPV and maternal depression can improve children’s mental health at the population level; however, screening children for maternal depression and IPV to target interventions to prevent adolescent depression will not identify many children who might benefit and may unnecessarily target many others who will not develop depression.