RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between depressive symptoms in the caregiver and the presen ce of affective and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Descripti ve correlational cross-sectional research. SAMPLE: 1100 children and adolescents with their respective parents or caregivers from public schools in Caldas, Colombia. Instruments used: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). RESULTS: The mean age was 12.1 years. According to the CBCL, up to 20% of the children and adolescents showed alteration in one of the syndromes for affective or behavioral difficulties. 34% of mothers and 14% of fathers showed for at least two weeks sadness, discouragement, depression, and loss of interest. When applying the PHQ- 9, 32.4% of the parents/caregivers were classified with depression. Parents/caregivers with such di sorders tend to perceive greater difficulty in coping with their daily lives compared with parents/ caregivers of children and adolescents who are not at risk (p < 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of depressive symptoms in the parents/caregivers is related to an increase in internalizing and externali zing symptoms in children and adolescents.
