Maternal Depression Affects Daughters' Brains Even Before the First Symptoms Appear

Maternal depression is not merely a personal issue but also a risk factor for children's health. Researchers have found that maternal depression can subtly alter the brain function of daughters long before any symptoms manifest in the child. Even in seemingly healthy daughters of depressed mothers, brain function operates differently, subtly reflecting vulnerability to depression.

Why does this happen, and what are the long-term implications? In this article, we will explore how depression in women, particularly mothers, affects the brains and emotions of daughters and the potential consequences for their mental health, academic success, careers, and even family emotional health. We will also examine possible mechanisms for the intergenerational transmission of vulnerability and consider what can be done to break this vicious cycle.

How Maternal Depression Reflects on Daughters' Brains

Numerous studies confirm that if a mother suffers from depression, her children are at a higher risk of developing depression themselves. This is especially true for daughters, who are two to three times more likely to encounter depressive disorders. But how is this predisposition to depression transmitted? Researchers suggest that it is not only about genetics or upbringing but also about subtle neurobiological factors — differences in brain function.

In 2025, Canadian neuropsychologists studied the brain activity of 97 "mother-daughter" pairs to identify potential markers of such vulnerability. Half of the mothers had a history of clinical depression, while their adolescent daughters had never experienced depressive episodes. During a computer-based attention test under time pressure, the electrical activity in the brains of all participants was measured using EEG. Special attention was paid to how the brain reacted to its mistakes — after all, the ability to notice and correct errors is related to emotional self-regulation.

It turned out that the brains of mothers with depression reacted differently to mistakes. In their case, the strength of slow delta waves was significantly lower, while theta rhythm activity was higher compared to mothers without depression. Moreover, the degree of these deviations increased with the severity of maternal symptoms: the more signs of depression the mother exhibited, the weaker the delta reaction and the stronger the theta activity.

However, the most intriguing effect was observed in daughters. Among girls who had never suffered from depression, the strength of the delta reaction was lower the more pronounced depressive symptoms their mothers exhibited. In other words, a muted brain response to errors could serve as an early marker of vulnerability to depression in the daughter — present long before any symptoms appear.

Overall, the results suggest that the specific brain mechanisms involved in error detection may be one of the pathways through which maternal depression influences offspring. Simply put, certain characteristic "glitches" in neural responses may be transmitted from mother to daughter, creating a covert predisposition to depressive disorders.

Other studies confirm such a connection. For example, researchers at the University of California, utilizing MRI, found that mothers and daughters often share similar structures in key brain regions responsible for emotional regulation (the limbic system). No such similarities were observed in father-son or father-daughter pairs. This underscores the unique role of the mother-daughter line in the transmission of vulnerability to emotional disorders.

Impact on Daughters' Mental Health

Consequently, many daughters experience depression during their adolescent or young adult years. In light of inherited changes in brain function, real-life stressors can more easily trigger a depressive episode. Additionally, growing up alongside a mother suffering from depression affects the child’s psyche: there may be less emotional support, more anxiety, and tension in the family. This undermines the girl’s self-esteem and her ability to cope with stress.

As a result, the daughter becomes more vulnerable not only to depression but also to other mental health issues. Such children are more likely to develop anxiety disorders and heightened sensitivity to stress. The psyche is molded by the family climate: if the mother is emotionally suppressed, daughters find it harder to learn optimism and self-confidence.

Impact on Education and Career

Emotional difficulties inevitably affect academic performance. Daughters who suffer from depression or severe anxiety may struggle to concentrate on their studies and miss classes. Even covert glitches in brain function play a role: if the nervous system is less sensitive to errors, it becomes harder for the child to learn from mistakes and improve their results. Over time, these students may lose interest in learning, receive low grades, and be less likely to gain admission to universities.

Academic struggles lead to narrower career prospects. Young individuals who have had their emotional health compromised by depression since adolescence find it more challenging to choose and master a profession. Chronic depression reduces productivity and hinders initiative and confidence in the workplace. As a result, they often fail to realize their potential and earn less than they could with sound mental well-being.

The negative consequences also permeate society: if many young people do not reach their potential due to psychological issues, it impacts overall well-being and the economy.

Impact on the Health of Future Generations

Maternal depression is not merely a single-generation issue. A daughter raised with such psychological baggage may eventually become a mother herself, and thus the risk is passed on further. If emotional difficulties remain unresolved, such women are more vulnerable to postpartum depression and the stresses of parenthood. The children of the next generation will also feel the effects of maternal depression — creating a vicious cycle where psychological problems are passed down through generations.

Thus, the health of future generations is directly tied to how we address mental well-being issues today. If no action is taken, the chain of vulnerability will continue: grandchildren will inherit the same predisposition to depression from their grandmother and mother through a combination of genetics and family environment. However, by breaking this chain — for instance, by providing timely support to mothers in combating depression and teaching children emotional resilience skills — we can change the narrative. A healthy mother is more likely to raise healthy, confident children, and this positive effect will be passed down through the family line.

Mechanisms of Intergenerational Transmission of Vulnerability

Such phenomena lie at the intersection of neuroscience and what psychologists refer to as generational psychology — the influence of family on personality. Researchers identify several key mechanisms for this transmission:

1. Genes and Heredity. Depression is partly influenced by genetics. Children may inherit from their parents variants that affect brain function and stress response. Genetic factors account for 30–50% of the predisposition to depression.

2. Pregnancy and Epigenetics. The emotional state of a woman during pregnancy directly affects fetal brain development. Elevated levels of stress hormone (cortisol) in a depressed mother negatively impact the child's nervous system development, especially for girls. Moreover, depression triggers epigenetic changes — specific marks on genes that may increase susceptibility to mental disorders and be transmitted to the next generation.

3. Early Childhood and Upbringing. If a mother is engulfed in depression, she finds it harder to respond to her infant's needs, to provide warmth and attention. This disrupts the formation of secure attachment and a basic sense of safety in the daughter. As a result, the girl grows up more anxious and insecure — laying the groundwork for future emotional problems.

4. Modeling Behavior. Children learn by observing their parents. A girl who witnesses her mother’s depression and hears negative or hopeless remarks in the family internalizes these models. Growing up in such an atmosphere, she adopts a pessimistic view of the world and ineffective ways of coping with difficulties — increasing the risk of future depression.

5. Stressful Family Climate. The depressed state of a parent often accompanies life difficulties (financial problems, social isolation, conflicts), creating a constant stress backdrop for the child. Growing up in conditions of instability undermines psychological resilience: the child lives in anxiety and lacks a sense of security.

Maternal depression is not just a personal problem but a family disaster that resonates even at the neural level in the next generation. Understanding these intergenerational connections offers a chance for intervention: by supporting mothers' mental health, we protect their children too. Early identification of vulnerable children — based on behavioral or even neurobiological indicators — enables timely provisioning of resources for developing emotional resilience. Taking care of parents' emotional well-being is an investment in the psychologically healthy future of the entire family.