Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
07:56

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

10.8K

Pathways between maternal depression, the family environment, and child BMI z scores

Karen McCurdy1, Alison Tovar2, Jill L Kaar3

  • 1Department of Human Development & Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, 2 Lower College, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA.

Appetite
|January 2, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Maternal depression impacts child weight through family environment factors. Early maternal depression linked to higher child BMI, mediated by concurrent depression, child eating behaviors, and sleep duration.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Obesity Research
  • Maternal Mental Health
  • Family Environment Studies

Background:

  • Family environment factors like feeding practices and routines influence childhood overweight.
  • Maternal depression is known to affect these family dynamics.
  • Pathways linking maternal depression to child weight via the family environment require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine parental feeding practices, child eating behaviors, and routines as mediators between maternal depressive symptoms and child weight at age six.
  • To investigate the differential effects of early (post-partum) versus concurrent maternal depressive symptoms on child weight.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal analysis of 1130 mother-child dyads from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFSP II) and its Year 6 Follow-Up.
  • Utilized a multi-step, multiple mediator model to assess direct and indirect relationships.
  • Examined early and concurrent maternal depressive symptoms in relation to child Body Mass Index (BMI) z scores at age six, with mediators including feeding practices, eating behaviors, and routines.

Main Results:

  • Higher early maternal depressive symptoms directly predicted lower child BMI z scores.
  • Early maternal depression indirectly predicted higher child BMI z scores through concurrent depression, child food responsiveness, and reduced weekday sleep duration.
  • Parental efforts to ensure adequate child intake predicted lower child weight but did not mediate maternal depressive symptom effects.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal depression significantly influences child weight through various family environmental pathways.
  • Understanding these complex relationships is crucial for developing effective childhood obesity prevention strategies.
  • Targeting maternal mental health and associated family factors may be key in interventions.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child eating behaviorsChild overweightMaternal depressionParental feeding practicesSleep duration

More Related Videos

Making MR Imaging Child's Play - Pediatric Neuroimaging Protocol, Guidelines and Procedure15:18

Making MR Imaging Child's Play - Pediatric Neuroimaging Protocol, Guidelines and Procedure

Published on: July 30, 2009

18.7K
Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants10:08

Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants

Published on: December 21, 2021

2.6K

Related Concept Videos

Protein Families02:47

Protein Families

Protein families are groups of homologous proteins; that is, they have similarities in amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures. Protein families usually occur because of gene duplication, where an additional copy of a gene is inserted into the genome of an organism.   Mutations that change the amino acids but still allow the protein to be properly synthesized, will lead to new protein family members.   If these new proteins contain similar amino acids in key...
16.9K
Protein Families02:47

Protein Families

4.4K
Gene Families01:57

Gene Families

Gene families consist of groups of genes proposed to have originated from a common ancestor. Typically these arise through events in which a gene or genes are mistakenly duplicated during cell division. Unlike their parent genes (which are subject to selection pressure to maintain function), these gene copies do not need to preserve their sequences and may evolve at a relatively faster rate.
Occasionally these regions can be adapted to take on new roles within the organism, becoming novel genes...
9.9K
Gene Families01:57

Gene Families

3.8K
Long-term Depression01:05

Long-term Depression

Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
33.3K
Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation03:12

Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation

Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
40.0K