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Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Association between maternal depression and neonatal outcomes: Evidence from a survey of nationally representative
Haoran Li1, Wei Ning1, Ning Zhang1
1School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Background And Aims:
Maternal depression before and after delivery has dramatically increased in China. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between antepartum and postpartum depression and neonatal outcomes.
Design:
A population-based retrospective cohort study.
Setting:
China.
Participants:
Data were obtained from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Different mother-child/infant samples were included in this study. Mother in CFPS2012 and CFPS2016 were linked with 1-2-year-old children in CFPS2014 and CFPS2018, respectively. Besides, and mothers in CFPS2012, CFPS2016, and CFPS2018 were linked with 0-1-year-old infants in CFPS2012, CFPS2016, and CFPS2018, respectively.
Methods:
Maternal depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The neonatal outcomes included duration of gestational days, preterm birth, birth weight, birth weight z-score, weight, weight z-score, illness in the past month, and hospitalization in the past year. Propensity score matching was used to balance maternal, family, and infant/child characteristics between the maternal depression and non-maternal depression groups.
Results:
Multivariable regression analysis of matched samples estimated that antepartum depression was associated with a shorter duration of gestation by 3.99 days (95% confidence interval [CI] = -7.21, -0.78). The association between antepartum depression and preterm birth, birth weight and birth weight z-score were not statistically significant. Postpartum depression was associated with more episodes of illness in the last month by 0.23 times (95% CI = 0.11, 0.36) and a higher odd of hospitalization in the previous year (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.15, 2.20). The association between postpartum depression and weight or the weight z-score was not significant.
Conclusion:
Maternal depression appears to be associated with worse neonatal outcomes.
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