Parents' beliefs about actions they can take to prevent depressive disorders in young people: results from an Australian national survey

In view of the limited research on this topic, we included questions about prevention as part of an Australian national survey of mental health literacy with youths and their parents. In particular, we examined parents? beliefs about three sets of parenting behaviors that evidence to date indicates are preventive against youth depression: (1) showing affection to their child, often conceptualized as parental warmth (e.g. see reviews by McLeod et al. 2007; Restifo B?gels, 2009); (2) not keeping the child under tight control at all times, conceptualized as overcontrol (e.g. see reviews by McLeod et al. 2007); and (3) avoiding parental conflict in front of the child, sometimes also conceptualized as marital discord (e.g. see reviews by Cummings Davies, 2002; Restifo B?gels, 2009). To explore potential correlates of parental beliefs which can inform health promotion efforts, we also examined parental socio-demographic characteristics and their exposure to mental health problems and mental health information. Since child characteristics such as age and sex may influence parental beliefs (e.g. more affection for daughters v. more control for sons), we examined these variables as well.