Studies on the impact of birth weight on child development require the participation of children as informants. The objective of this study was to compare the indicators of behavioral problems and depression in a cohort of school-age children stratified by birth weight and to investigate possible associations between the indicators of behavioral problems, evaluated by the parents, and depression, evaluated by the children. A total of 665 children, aged 10-11 years, distributed into five birth-weight groups were evaluated. The parents responded to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the children responded to the Children's Depression Inventory. It was found that there were: (a) significantly more indicators of hyperactivity and depression in the children born with very low birth weight; (b) associations between the indicators of childhood depression and the indicators of overall behavioral problems in all weight groups evaluated, except for the very low birth weight group. There was good consistency between the ratings of problems by children and parents.Keywords: Behavior; Birth weight; Depression; Parent-child relations. Resumo

Abstract The aim of this study was to verify possible associations between maternal depressive symptoms, children’s behavioral problems and perceptions regarding the family interactions, considering the reports of mothers and children. A total of 60 mothers and their school-age children were divided into two equal groups, according to the presence or absence of maternal depression indicators, and evaluated using the following instruments: Sociodemographic Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and scales of family interaction (Escalas de Qualidade nas Interações Familiares). The results indicate that maternal depressive symptoms were associated with children’s behavioral problems and with family interactions reported by mothers and children. Maternal depression and positive family interactions reported by the mothers predicted behavioral problems in children. Positive family interactions reported by the mothers also mediated the association between maternal depression and children’s behavioral problems, highlighting the relevance of interventions with mothers with depression indicators that have school-age children.