Psychosocial association of Japanese mothers and their children when living temporarily abroad

TO evaluate the effects of overseas sojourns on the psychosocial conditions of children, we observed Japanese children and their mothers temporarily l iving in the United States. Using a questionnaire, we examined the psychoso cial condition of 61 Japanese mother-and-child pairs (male = 51 percent, ag ed 8 to 15) living in the United States. One-fourth of the mothers were reg arded as having minor psychiatric illness according to the General Health Q uestionnaire. One-tenth of the children were assessed as depressive by the Children's Depression Inventory, and 30 percent of the children were identi fied as having a high level of anxiety according to the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the mother's min or psychiatric illness was significantly associated with the levels of depr ession and anxiety in their children.