Table 3.

Predicted mean difference in depressive symptoms scores [95 % CI] at various ages for the main effect of father absence during different periods in childhood on trajectories of depressive symptoms.

	Predicted Mean Differences in Depressive Symptoms Scores (SMFQ) a
Early Father Absence (EFA; n = 6020)	Age 12	Age 16	Age 20	Age 24
No EFA vs Yes EFA	0.13 (−0.19, 0.45), p = 0.426	0.60 (0.17, 1.02), p = 0.012	0.57 (0.04, 1.11), p = 0.048	1.06 (0.37, 1.75), p = 0.003
Later Father Absence (LFA; n = 5352)
No LFA vs Yes LFA	0.31 (−0.07, 0.69), p = 0.190	0.68 (0.17, 1.19), p = 0.008	0.37 (−0.27, 1.01), p = 0.254	0.63 (−0.21, 1.48), p = 0.143

Note: ^a Adjusted for antenatal indicators of socioeconomic (parental social class, financial difficulties, maternal educational attainment, homeownership), maternal (depression) and familial (parental conflict) characteristics. P-values are adjusted for false discovery rate (FDR). SMFQ: Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire. EFA: Early Father Absence. LFA: Later Father Absence.