Maternal Depression in the United States: Nationally Representative Rates and Risks

Abstract

Maternal depression is a major public health problem in the United States, with an estimated 1 in 10 children experiencing a depressed mother in any given year. Professionals who work with mothers and children should be aware of its prevalence and its detrimental effects.

Predictors of persistent maternal depression trajectories in early childhood: results from the EDEN mother–child cohort study in France

“…This is further increased by selective attrition among socially disadvantaged women. As it is likely that this group has a higher proportion of maternal depression (Ertel et al 2011), our results are plausibly an under-rather than an over-estimate of the relationship between socio-economic predictors and maternal depression trajectories. Replication of our findings in a population including a higher proportion of disadvantaged, high-risk families is warranted.…”

Parental Depressive Symptoms and Children’s School-Readiness: The Indirect Effect of Household Chaos

“…Depression is prevalent in parents with children: data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol andRelated Conditions in 2001-2002 shows that 10 % of mothers in the US are affected by depression (Ertel et al 2011); and a recent meta-analysis on paternal depression has reported that 5-10 % of fathers are depressed (Paulson and Bazemore 2010). Sub-clinical levels of depressive symptoms are even more prevalent and also have negative consequences for children (Cummings et al 2005;Farmer et al 2002;Silver et al 2006).…”

Theoretical Approaches to Maternal–Infant Interaction: Which Approach Best Discriminates Between Mothers With and Without Postpartum Depression?

“…In a nationally representative sample of the civilian population of the United States (N = 8916), part of the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions, maternal depression was found to be a major public health problem in the United States impacting 10% of new mothers and their families (Ertel, Rich-Edwards, & Koenen, 2011). International studies have demonstrated that salient features of maternal depression can impair the maternal infant relationship (Edhborg, Nasreen, & Kabir, 2011;Moehler, Brunner, Wiebel, Reck, & Resch, 2006) and adversely impact a child's cognitive development, social skills, and behavior (Grace, Evindar, & Stewart, 2003;Tronick & Reck, 2009;Wu, Selig, Roberts, & Steele, 2011).…”