{
  "id": 3497425,
  "title": "Early depressive symptoms forecast changes in visual attention among at-risk youth",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/early-depressive-symptoms-forecast-changes-in-visual-attention-among",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-26T11:00:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/early-depressive-symptoms-forecast-changes-in-visual-attention-among-at-risk-youth/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study reveals that depressive symptoms in at-risk youth can predict changes in their visual attention to emotional faces, with the specific changes varying based on their mothers' history of depression. Children of mothers with a history of depression tend to pay more attention to sad faces as their own depressive symptoms increase, while children of mothers without such a history look less at happy faces when their depression worsens. These findings, published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, suggest that family history may influence how youth process emotional information and develop depressive symptoms. The research, conducted by Binghamton University, followed 242 mother-child pairs over two years, using eye-tracking technology to objectively measure changes in attention and depressive symptoms over time. The study highlights the importance of considering genetic and environmental factors in understanding the onset and progression of depression, particularly in adolescents.",
  "summary": "Does focusing on negative information lead to depression in kids? A new study suggests the reverse: developing depressive symptoms actually predicts changes in how youth view emotional faces, depending on their family history of depression.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}