Depressive symptoms in parents of adolescents with myelomeningocele: The association of clinical, adolescent neuropsychological functioning, and family protective factors

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine if neuropsychological functioning and family protective factors are related to depressive symptoms in parents of adolescents with myelomeningocele (MMC). METHODS: Fifty adolescents (28 females, 22 males; predominately Caucasian; ages 12-21 years, M = 15.7, SD = 2.4) and their parents from a large Midwestern MMC Program participated in a cross-sectional descriptive mixed-methods study. Participants completed measures of adolescent clinical status (WeeFIM (R), Demographic and Clinical Information Form), neuropsychological (NP) functioning, family protective factors and parents' depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Parents' depressive symptoms correlated significantly with NP functioning in the domains of Mental Processing Speed, Psychomotor Speed, Executive Functioning, Fine Motor Skills, and Language, and with each self-reported family protective factor. Multiple regression analysis revealed independent main effects for the NP variable, Executive Functioning and the Family Protective Factors Composite (p < 0.05); there was no interaction (p > 0.10). CONCLUSION: Clinicians are especially encouraged to include assessment of parental depressive symptoms if the adolescent has executive functioning impairments or if the parents have few family protective factors.