The Relationship Between Parental Bonding and a Lifetime History of Major Depressive Disorder in Latino College Students

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceptions of parental bonding and a lifetime history of major depressive disorder (MDD) in a sample of 119 Latino students attending a large university in the northeastern United States. Participants included 45 students with a lifetime history of MDD and 74 students without a lifetime history of MDD. The results, utilizing hierarchical multiple logistic regression analyses, indicated that only maternal overprotection was a significant predictor for having a lifetime history of MDD. These findings are not consistent with the broader literature on parental bonding and support the importance of examining these factors among Latinos. Implications for the mental health field are discussed underlining the importance of developing and providing culturally competent treatment for major depressive disorder among Latinos.

KEYWORDS:

• Parental bonding
• major depressive disorder
• Latino
• college students

This study is partially supported by The National Institute of Health grants S06 GM008225 and 2R24MH49747.