A developmental psychopathology study tracked familial transmission of mental health disorders using regional healthcare registry data over a 40-year period. The findings for offspring diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) by age 45 are shown in Table 1 below.
| Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) | Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parental Diagnosis status | % of offspring diagnosed by age 45 | Number of parental couples | % of offspring diagnosed by age 45 | Number of parental couples |
| Both parents diagnosed with the disorder | 22.4 | 145 | 29.8 | 92 |
| One parent diagnosed with the disorder | 6.8 | 9,210 | 8.1 | 7,450 |
| Neither parent diagnosed with the disorder | 1.1 | 950,000 | 1.3 | 950,000 |
To what extent can these findings be considered reliable?
