This paper combines novel data on the time use, home-learning practices and economic circumstances of families with children during the COVID-19 lockdown with pre-lockdown data from the UK Time Use Survey to *

Objective Extend analyses of maternal mental health and infant growth in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to children through age eight and broaden analyses to cognitive and psychosocial outcomes. Design Community-based longitudinal cohort study in four LMICs (Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam). Surveys and anthropometric assessments were carried out when the children were approximately ages one, five and eight years. Risk of maternal common mental disorders (rCMD) was assessed with the SRQ-20 (score ≥8). Setting Rural and urban as well as middle and poor income communities. Participants 7,722 mothers and their children. Main outcome measures Child stunting and underweight (Z score <-2 of height and weight for age), and < 20th percentile for: cognitive development (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test), and the psychosocial outcomes self-esteem and life satisfaction. Results A high rate of rCMD, stunting, and underweight was seen in the cohorts. After adjusting for confounders significant associations were found between maternal rCMD and growth variables in the first year of life with persistence to age eight in India and Vietnam but not in the other countries. India and Vietnam also showed significant associations between rCMD and lower cognitive development. After adjustment, rCMD was associated with low life satisfaction in Ethiopia but not in the other cohorts. Conclusions Associations of maternal rCMD in the first year of life with child outcomes varied across the study cohorts. and in some cases persisted across the first eight years of life of the child and included growth, cognitive development and psychosocial domains.

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