Moms' depression tied to teen behavior

CARDIFF, Wales, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Children whose mothers suffer from depression during pregnancy are more likely than others to show anti-social behavior, British researchers say.

Researches at Cardiff University, King's College London and the University of Bristol say women who are aggressive and disruptive in their own teen years are more likely to become depressed in pregnancy, so a mom's history predicts her own children's anti-social behavior.

Dale F. Hay, professor of psychology at Cardiff University in Wales, says the study considered the role of mothers' depression during pregnancy by looking at 120 British youth from inner-city areas.

"Much attention has been given to the effects of postnatal depression on young infants," Hay says in a statement, "but depression during pregnancy may also affect the unborn child."

The youths' mothers were interviewed while they were pregnant, after they gave birth, and when their children were ages 4, 11 and 16.

The study, published in the journal Child Development, found mothers who became depressed when pregnant were four times as likely as others to have children -- both male and female -- who were violent at 16.