Pathways linking maternal mental health and child health in a dual burden context: Evidence from Galapagos, Ecuador

Thompson, Amanda L.; Jahnke, Johanna R.; Terán, Enrique; Bentley, Margaret E.

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115043

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…Maternal depression is critical not only in the peripartum period but also as the child grows into adolescence and young adulthood. Maternal depression significantly impacts the health of older children and is commonly associated with reduced healthcare seeking [ 14 ], increased childhood illnesses [ 15 ], and poorer child diet quality [ 16 ]. Strong evidence indicates parents of children with SCA have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms [ 17 , 18 ], and mothers, in particular, are more likely to experience a lower quality of life [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of maternal depression on malnutrition treatment outcomes in older children with sickle cell anemia

Ritter,

Abdullahi,

Gambo

et al. 2024

BMC Nutr

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Background Malnutrition and sickle cell anemia (SCA) result in high childhood mortality rates. Although maternal depression is an established risk factor for malnutrition in younger children, little is known about its impact on treatment response in children with malnutrition. We aimed to determine the relationship, if any, between maternal depression scores and malnutrition treatment outcomes in older children with SCA. Methods We conducted a planned ancillary study to our randomized controlled feasibility trial for managing severe acute malnutrition in children aged 5–12 with SCA in northern Nigeria (NCT03634488). Mothers of participants completed a depression screen using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).We used a multivariable linear regression model to describe the relationship between the baseline maternal PHQ-9 score and the trial participant’s final body mass index (BMI) z-score. Results Out of 108 mother-child dyads, 101 with maternal baseline PHQ-9 scores were eligible for inclusion in this analysis. At baseline, 25.7% of mothers (26 of 101) screened positive for at least mild depression (PHQ-9 score of 5 or above). The baseline maternal PHQ-9 score was negatively associated with the child’s BMI z-score after 12 weeks of malnutrition treatment (β=-0.045, p = 0.041). Conclusions Maternal depressive symptoms has an impact on malnutrition treatment outcomes. Treatment of malnutrition in older children with sickle cell anemia should include screening for maternal depression and, if indicated, appropriate maternal referral for depression evaluation and treatment. Trial Registration The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT03634488) on January 30, 2018, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03634488.

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