Table 1.
Demographic Characteristics of Grandparents (Generation 1), Parents (Generation 2), and Grandchildren (Generation 3), by Grandparental (Generation 1) Depression Statusa
| Variable | Total | Neither Grandparent Had MDD |
≥1 or More Grandparents Had MDD |
Compaiisonb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z Score | P Value | ||||
| No. of Grandparentsc | |||||
| Female sex, No. (%) | 37/62 (59.7) | 13/18 (72.2) | 24/44 (54.5) | −1.27 | .21 |
| Age at baseline, mean (SD) | 48.1 (7.5) | 49.5 (5.1) | 47.6 (8.2) | −1.10 | .27 |
| Educational attainment, No./total No. (%) | |||||
| <High school | 11/59 (18.6) | 1/17(5.9) | 10/42 (23.8) | −0.90 | .37 |
| High school | 39/59 (66.1) | 14/17 (82.4) | 25/42 (59.5) | ||
| ≥College | 9/59 (15.3) | 2/17 (11.8) | 7/42 (16.7) | ||
| Marital status, No./total No. (%) | |||||
| Married or remarried | 47/59 (79.7) | 14/17 (82.4) | 33/42 (78.6) | 0.33d | .74 |
| Separated or divorced | 10/59 (16.9) | 1/17 (5.9) | 9/42 (21.4) | ||
| Widowed | 2/59 (3.4) | 2/17 (11.8) | 0/42 | ||
| No. of Parentse | |||||
| Female sex, No. (%) | 76/127 (59.8) | 22/39 (56.4) | 54/88 (61.4) | 0.54 | .59 |
| Educational attainment, No. (%) | |||||
| <High school | 2/127 (1.6) | 0 | 2/88 (2.3) | 1.21 | .23 |
| High school | 56/127 (44.1) | 22/39 (56.4) | 34/88 (38.6) | ||
| ≥College | 69/127 (54.3) | 17/39 (43.6) | 52/88 (59.1) | ||
| Marital status, No./total No. (%) | |||||
| Single, never married | 6/120 (5.0) | 2/39 (5.1) | 4/81 (4.9) | −0.70d | .49 |
| Married or remarried | 88/120 (73.3) | 30/39 (76.9) | 58/81 (71.6) | ||
| Separated or divorced | 24/120 (20.0) | 5/39 (12.8) | 19/81 (23.5) | ||
| Widowed | 2/120 (1.7) | 2/39 (5.1) | 0/81 | ||
| No. of children, mean (SD) | 2.3 (0.1) | 2.7 (1.1) | 2.1 (0.9) | −2.68 | .007 |
| Personal income, mean (SD), $ | 51 513 (27 743) | 51 764 (28 600) | 51 400 (27 540) | −0.05 | .96 |
| Employment status, No./total No. (%) | |||||
| Full time | 82/120 (68.3) | 24/39 (61.5) | 58/81 (71.6) | ||
| Part time | 16/120 (13.3) | 4/39 (10.3) | 12/81 (14.8) | −1.64 | .10 |
| Occasional or not employed | 22/120 (18.3) | 11/39 (28.2) | 11/81 (13.6) | ||
| Age at first interview, mean (SD) | 20.2 (6.4) | 19.5 (5.4) | 20.5 (6.8) | 1.01 | .31 |
| Age at last interview mean (SD) | 46.3 (8.3) | 45.6 (7.2) | 46.6 (8.7) | 0.59 | .56 |
| No. of interviews, mean (SD) | 4.6 (1.1) | 4.6 (1.3) | 4.6 (1.1) | 0.24 | .81 |
| No. of Grandchildrene | |||||
| Female sex, No. (%) | 131/251 (52.2) | 50/88 (56.8) | 81/163 (49.7) | −1.08 | .28 |
| Educational attainment, No./total No. (%) | |||||
| <High school | 82/239 (34.3) | 24/87 (27.6) | 58/152 (38.2) | ||
| High school | 79/239 (33.1) | 37/87 (42.5) | 42/152 (27.6) | −0.43 | .67 |
| ≥College | 78/239 (32.6) | 26/87 (29.9) | 52/152 (34.2) | ||
| Age at first interview, mean (SD) | 12.6 (5.1) | 11.7 (5.4) | 13.1 (4.8) | 1.32 | .19 |
| Age at last interview, mean (SD) | 18.2 (7.3) | 18.5 (6.5) | 18.1 (7.8) | −0.30 | .77 |
| No. of interviews, mean (SD) | 2.0 (1.0) | 2.3 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.0) | −1.86 | .06 |
Abbreviation: MDD, major depressive disorder.
The table summarizes characteristics of 62 grandparents, 127 parents, and 251 grandchildren. Numbers may vary because of missing data in some categories.
The z score is an estimate of the difference between the 2 groups, derived from regressions that adjusted for intrafamily correlation using a generalized estimating equation approach. Each characteristic was modeled as an outcome specified as either binary (sex and marital status [married vs other]), ordinal (educational attainment and employment status), or continuous (personal income, number of children, number of interviews, and all age variables). Adjustments to P levels have not been made for multiple comparisons.
All generation 1 characteristics reflect participants’ status at wave 1 or at wave 2 if wave 1 status was not available.
Married or remarried vs all other categories combined.
All generation 2 and generation 3 characteristics except age at first interview reflect participants’ status at their last interview.