Prevalence and Risk Factors of Maternal Depression During the First Three Years of Child Rearing

Abstract

Younger maternal age, poverty, lower education, and lack of social support were all significantly associated with increased maternal depression in multivariate regression models. Younger age, black race, unemployment, single status, lack of social support, and poor general health were all risk factors for increased prevalence of maternal depression.

A double prevention: How maternal education can affect maternal mental health, child health and child cognitive development

“…Instability in partnership, as a risk factor, not only increases the likelihood of poor maternal mental health and impacts on the emotional development of children, but its overall effect has been observed to be different for mothers with high levels of education, compared with mothers with low levels of education (Wang, Anderson, & Florence, 2011). Social support, as a protective factor, is provided for mothers to overcome mental health difficulties and to assist with children's needs.…”

The Relationship Among Caregiver Depressive Symptoms, Parenting Behavior, and Family-Centered Care

“…Each of these interaction styles has consequences for how parents with depression manage day-to-day parenting tasks necessary for child health, safety, and development (Berkule et al, 2014). The relationships are complex and parental depression interacts with other factors such as socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, maternal sensitivity, and social support (Campbell, Matestic, von Stauffenberg, Mohan, & Kirchner, 2007;Clare & Yeh, 2012;Logsdon, Mcbride, & Birkimer, 1994;Wang, Wu, Anderson, & Florence, 2011).…”

Women’s mental health following the birth of a child: a life course approach

“…In determining predictors of chronic or persistent maternal depression, some maternal characteristics have been found to predict depression in the postnatal period (Fisher et al, 2012, Rich-Edwards et al, 2006. Similarly maternal characteristics have been identified as predictors of chronic or high-level depression with race-ethnicity (Cents et al, 2013, Mora et al, 2009, Wang et al, 2011, higher parity (Mora et al, 2009), younger age and lower education attainment (Skipstein et al, 2012). Consistent with the findings not limited to women in the postnatal period, women with fewer depressive symptoms are more likely to be married and better educated (Campbell et al, 2009).…”

“…One study which looked at maternal mental health over time has described four trajectories of women's depression and anxiety over a 13 year period with no-low, moderate, low-rising and high-symptom groups (Skipstein et al, 2012). Using various methodologies, other studies report similar depression-trajectory models of three, (Wang et al, 2011) four (Cents et al, 2013) and five (Mora et al, 2009, Campbell et al, 2009) grouped pathways over periods of up to twelve years and in addition have identified 'no' or 'low' and 'high' or 'chronic' trajectories.…”

“…While the proportion of women with chronic or high level depression following the birth of an infant has been reported varyingly at 1.5%, (Cents et al, 2013) 7% (Mora et al, 2009) and higher (Wang et al, 2011, Campbell et al, 2009) and with rates being highest at one month then subsequently decreasing and stabilising, (Wang et al, 2011) or increasing over-time (Manuel et al, 2012). In determining predictors of chronic or persistent maternal depression, some maternal characteristics have been found to predict depression in the postnatal period (Fisher et al, 2012, Rich-Edwards et al, 2006.…”