Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents
Published on: June 10, 2013
Perception of the impact of a child's chronic illness: does it predict maternal mental health?
1Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Longitudinal data were used to investigate direct and indirect effects of demographic factors, parameters of chronic health conditions, service use variables, and perception of family impact of illness on mental health of 169 mothers of children with diverse chronic health conditions. Bivariate analyses indicated that baseline assessments of demographic factors, condition parameters, and service use were: (1) generally unrelated to maternal mental health at 1 year and (2) modestly related to maternal perception of the condition's impact on the family 1 year later. Perceived impact and maternal mental health themselves were moderately related. Multivariate analyses indicated that the need to watch for changes in the child's condition, the presence of communication or speech problems, and the number of hospitalizations in the previous year predicted maternal perceptions of the impact of the condition 1 year later. Mothers perception of impact had a direct effect on mothers' mental health after accounting for condition parameters. Results suggest that condition parameters and service use can affect maternal mental health through mothers' perceptions of the impact of the condition on family life. Implications for interventions to prevent maternal health problems are discussed.
Longitudinal data were used to investigate direct and indirect effects of demographic factors, parameters of chronic health conditions, service use variables, and perception of family impact of illness on mental health of 169 mothers of children with diverse chronic health conditions. Bivariate analyses indicated that baseline assessments of demographic factors, condition parameters, and service use were: (1) generally unrelated to maternal mental health at 1 year and (2) modestly related to maternal perception of the condition's impact on the family 1 year later. Perceived impact and maternal mental health themselves were moderately related. Multivariate analyses indicated that the need to watch for changes in the child's condition, the presence of communication or speech problems, and the number of hospitalizations in the previous year predicted maternal perceptions of the impact of the condition 1 year later. Mothers perception of impact had a direct effect on mothers' mental health after accounting for condition parameters. Results suggest that condition parameters and service use can affect maternal mental health through mothers' perceptions of the impact of the condition on family life. Implications for interventions to prevent maternal health problems are discussed.
More Related Videos
06:39Using 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
09:09Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using Poly(I:C) to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring
Published on: August 17, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Dimensions of Health and Illness
Factors Affecting Illness
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness, disability,...
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results from...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia