Decades of empirical and theoretical work have been directed toward identifying risk factors in the intergenerational transmission of depression. Receiving considerably less attention in the field is the study of attributes that might constitute protection from major depressive disorder (MDD) among offspring of parents with depression. This disinterest persists despite research showing that roughly 40% of such offspring never go on to develop the disorder. Thus, resiliency to depression, whether a foundational trait or the outcome of several interactive factors across development, may reflect processes that can be identified, targeted, and enhanced in prevention and intervention efforts.

数十年的经验和理论研究都致力于确定抑郁症的代际传播中的危险因素。在本领域中，受到关注的研究很少是对可能构成抑郁症父母的后代免受重大抑郁症（MDD）侵害的属性的研究。尽管有研究表明这种后代中约有40％从未继续发展为这种疾病，但这种无情感仍然存在。因此，无论是基础性状还是整个发展过程中若干互动因素的结果，对抑郁的适应力都可能反映出可以在预防和干预工作中得到确定，确定目标和增强的过程。