The Relationship Between Parents’ Poor Emotional Health Status and Childhood Mood and Anxiety Disorder in Florida Children, National Survey of Children’s Health, 2011–2012

Keshia M. Reid

The purpose of this study was to examine how parents' emotional health relates to childhood mood and anxiety disorder among Florida children in the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health. Analyses were restricted to 1,241 Florida children 6-17 years of age. Childhood mood and anxiety disorder was defined as a parent-reported diagnosis of current depression or anxiety. Parents' emotional health status was a composite measure of the lowest reported emotional health of any parent in the household. To assess the association between parents' emotional health and childhood mood and anxiety disorder, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Nearly 5 % of Florida children had a mood or anxiety disorder in 2011-2012. Children living with a parent in poor emotional health were significantly more likely to have a mood or anxiety disorder compared to children living with a parent in good emotional health (OR 5.01; 95 % CI 1.89, 13.29). After adjusting for covariates, this association remained substantial and significant (aOR 4.33; 95 % CI 1.49, 12.57). Findings presented here are consistent with national findings and emphasize the strong link between parents' emotional health status and childhood mood and anxiety disorders. To address the mental health of children in the state of Florida, Florida public health initiatives should consider family processes and child level characteristics.