Which assessment finding would cause the nurse to consider a child to be most at risk for the development of mental illness?

A) The child has been raised by a parent with recurring major depressive disorder.
B) The child's best friend was absent from the child's birthday party.
C) The child was not promoted to the next grade one year.
D) The child moved to three new homes over a 2-year period.

Children raised by a depressed parent have an increased risk of developing an emotional disorder. Familial risk factors correlate with child psychiatric disorders, including severe marital discord, low socioeconomic status, large families and overcrowding, parental criminality, maternal psychiatric disorders, and foster-care placement. The chronicity of the parent's depression means it has been a consistent stressor. The other factors are not as risk-enhancing.