Maternal postpartum depression risk differentially affects infant development across sociocultural groups

Maternal postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health concern with well-documented implications for children's developmental outcomes. Despite growing evidence of these effects, limited attention has been given to potential sociocultural differences in how PPD influences child development. To address this gap, the present study utilized a nationally representative dataset to examine whether the associations between maternal PPD risk and developmental delays in children vary across two major sociocultural groups in Israel: The Jewish and Muslim-Arab populations.

Data from a population-based birth cohort in Israel (N = 401,942) were collected in approximately 700 in national maternal child health clinics. PPD risk was estimated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and developmental assessments were conducted by trained public health nurses. Participants included all children born between January 2014 and September 2020, who were followed at the maternal child health clinics from birth to age 2 years. Three different types of indicators for developmental delay were considered, based on recorded intervention, nurse's assessment, and milestone achievement scales.

PPD risk was associated with an increased risk of developmental delay in both the first and second years of life, according to all three types of developmental delay indicators. These estimated effects of PPD risk were significantly lower among Muslim-Arabs than among Jews for all three indication types, both during the first year of life, and in the second.

The findings support the cultural mitigation hypothesis, indicating that sociocultural factors can potentially attenuate the negative impact of maternal postpartum depression risk on child developmental outcomes. These results underscore the importance of recognizing and leveraging communal and familial resources as protective factors in the postpartum period, particularly within culturally distinct populations. Tailoring interventions to align with sociocultural strengths may enhance support for mothers and infants and mitigate long-term developmental risks.