Maternal depression is characterized as a condition of vulnerability to children's development. The aim of this study was to compare the behavioral profile, the self-perceptions and the life events experienced by school-aged children that live with maternal depression (G1) to those of children who live with mothers without psychiatric history (G2), according to mothers' and children's perceptions. Forty children, from 7 to 12 years old, were evaluated by the Raven Test, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and the Interview of Vital Events. Mothers were evaluated by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) for diagnostic confirmation, and answered to the Children's Behavioral Scale A2 by Rutter. Maternal depression was associated with behavioral problems according to mothers' and children's perceptions.
maternal depression; child; behavior problems; self-concept; life events
