Dysfunctional parenting and a lifetime history of depression in a volunteer sample of Japanese workers

This study explored whether dysfunctional parenting, as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument, is linked to a lifetime diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) provided by the Inventory to Diagnose Depression, Lifetime Version, in a non-clinical sample from a non-Western culture. Of a total of 239 Japanese volunteer workers, 22 subjects were diagnosed as having had lifetime MDD. Subjects with lifetime MDD reported a significantly lower 'maternal care' score than did those without lifetime MDD. Logistic regression analysis revealed that subjects who reported a lower 'maternal care' score were at a significantly higher risk for lifetime MDD. The results suggest that the link between dysfunctional parenting and MDD may be independent of cultural differences, lending some support to the hypothesis that dysfunctional parenting in childhood may cause adult depression.