MEASURING OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN - EARLY PARENTING EXPERIENCES, CONFLICT, MALADJUSTMENT, AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTHOOD

Based on longitudinal data from the United Kingdom's National Child De velopment Study, the current study explores the relationships between different types of family difficulties and conflict, parenting experie nces, maladjustment at 16, and the risk of depression in adult life. T his study found significant associations between several measures of e arly family difficulties and conflict and a later risk of depression i n adult life. However, the best indicator that family difficulties and conflict were impinging on a particular child, with potentially long term psychological impacts, was the Rutter 'A' Health and Behaviour sc ore at age 16. This study concludes that such measures could be more r eadily used in social work to monitor intervention and assess outcomes .