Study Uncovers New Early Sign of Depression Risk in Children
Summary
A study from Binghamton University found that changes in how children pay attention to facial expressions can signal a risk for depression. Children with depressed mothers focused more on sad faces as their symptoms grew, while other children paid less attention to happy faces.Key Facts
- Researchers studied 242 children and their mothers for two years, checking every six months.
- Children viewed pairs of faces showing neutral and emotional expressions (happy, sad, angry).
- Eye-tracking technology measured which faces children looked at and for how long.
- Children with mothers who had major depressive disorder (MDD) paid more attention to sad faces as their depressive symptoms increased.
- Children without mothers who had depression paid less attention to happy faces as their symptoms grew.
- These attention patterns may help explain how depression develops differently in some children.
- Family history of depression influences how children notice emotional signals.
- The study looked at how depression symptoms and attention patterns affect each other over time.
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