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Prospective Associations between Maternal Depressive Symptoms during Early Infancy and Growth Deficiency from

Linda S Pagani1,2,3, Kianoush Harandian1,2, Beatrice Necsa1,2

  • 1School of Psycho-Education, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|December 8, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Maternal depressive symptoms at 5 months postpartum were linked to lower body mass index (BMI) in sons through adolescence. This association was not observed in daughters, highlighting sex-specific impacts on child growth.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Maternal Mental Health
  • Pediatric Endocrinology

Background:

  • Maternal mental health significantly influences child development, yet is often overlooked in pediatric care.
  • Previous research on maternal depressive symptoms and infant physical growth shows inconsistent findings.
  • The impact of maternal depression on child body mass index (BMI) across development requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the prospective relationship between maternal depressive symptoms at 5 months postpartum and child BMI up to adolescence.
  • To investigate potential sex differences in the association between maternal depressive symptoms and child BMI.
  • To determine if maternal depressive symptom severity predicts later BMI trajectories in children.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective-longitudinal study of 2120 infants, with 50.7% boys.
  • Maternal depressive symptoms assessed via self-report at 5 months postpartum.
  • Child BMI measured at ages 6, 8, 10, 13, and 15 years by trained research assistants.
  • Sex-stratified regression analyses controlled for confounding factors.

Main Results:

  • Boys born to mothers with higher depressive symptoms at 5 months showed significantly lower BMI at subsequent ages.
  • No significant association was found between maternal depressive symptoms and BMI in girls.
  • Maternal depressive symptoms prospectively predicted faltering growth in sons through adolescence.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal depressive symptoms at 5 months postpartum are prospectively associated with lower BMI in sons, but not daughters, up to adolescence.
  • Findings suggest a sex-specific impact of maternal depression on child physical growth trajectories.
  • Routine assessment of maternal psychological well-being in pediatric settings is recommended to support optimal child development.

Keywords:
child BMIchild developmentdepressionmaternal depressive symptoms

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