Abstract:Background Maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) have been associated with poorer child cognitive development. Some studies have shown that childcare attendance moderates associations between MDS and child behavior problems, but we do not know if this is the case for children's cognitive development. Furthermore, few studies have evaluated whether associations between MDS and child cognitive development differ for boys and girls at school entry. Methods This study used data from a population-based cohort study (n… Show more
“…In total, 12 articles from eight unique datasets met eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis (Table 1). Studies were conducted in six countries: six in the UK (Hay et al, 2001; Hay, Pawlby, Waters, & Sharp, 2008; Murray et al, 2010; Murray, Hipwell, Hooper, Stein, & Cooper, 1996; Ng-Knight et al, 2018; Sharp et al, 1995), two in Canada (Ahun et al, 2020; Paquin et al, 2020), and one each in Australia (Cornish et al, 2005), the USA (Davies & Windle, 1997), South Africa (Donald et al, 2019), and Finland (Nolvi et al, 2018). Fig.…”
Background
Maternal depression is negatively associated with cognitive development across childhood and adolescence, with mixed evidence on whether this association differs in boys and girls. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of sex-specific estimates of the association between maternal depression and offspring cognitive outcomes.
Method
Seven databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest) were searched for studies examining the longitudinal association between maternal depression and offspring (up to 18 years) cognitive outcomes. Studies were screened and included based on predetermined criteria by two independent reviewers (Cohen's κ = 0.76). We used random-effects models to conduct a meta-analysis and used meta-regression for subgroup analyses. The PROSPERO record for the study is CRD42020161001.
Results
Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Maternal depression was associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in boys [Hedges’ g = –0.36 (95% CI −0.60 to −0.11)], but not in girls [−0.17 (–0.41 to 0.07)]. The association in boys varied as a function of the measure of depression used (b = –0.70, p = 0.005): when maternal depression was assessed via a diagnostic interview, boys [−0.84 (–1.23 to −0.44)] had poorer cognitive outcomes than when a rating scale was used [−0.16 (–0.36 to 0.04)].
Conclusions
This review and meta-analysis indicates that maternal depression is only significantly associated with cognitive outcomes in boys. Understanding the role of sex differences in the underlying mechanisms of this association can inform the development of targeted interventions to mitigate the negative effects of maternal depression on offspring cognitive outcomes.
“…In total, 12 articles from eight unique datasets met eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis (Table 1). Studies were conducted in six countries: six in the UK (Hay et al, 2001; Hay, Pawlby, Waters, & Sharp, 2008; Murray et al, 2010; Murray, Hipwell, Hooper, Stein, & Cooper, 1996; Ng-Knight et al, 2018; Sharp et al, 1995), two in Canada (Ahun et al, 2020; Paquin et al, 2020), and one each in Australia (Cornish et al, 2005), the USA (Davies & Windle, 1997), South Africa (Donald et al, 2019), and Finland (Nolvi et al, 2018). Fig.…”
Background
Maternal depression is negatively associated with cognitive development across childhood and adolescence, with mixed evidence on whether this association differs in boys and girls. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of sex-specific estimates of the association between maternal depression and offspring cognitive outcomes.
Method
Seven databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest) were searched for studies examining the longitudinal association between maternal depression and offspring (up to 18 years) cognitive outcomes. Studies were screened and included based on predetermined criteria by two independent reviewers (Cohen's κ = 0.76). We used random-effects models to conduct a meta-analysis and used meta-regression for subgroup analyses. The PROSPERO record for the study is CRD42020161001.
Results
Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Maternal depression was associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in boys [Hedges’ g = –0.36 (95% CI −0.60 to −0.11)], but not in girls [−0.17 (–0.41 to 0.07)]. The association in boys varied as a function of the measure of depression used (b = –0.70, p = 0.005): when maternal depression was assessed via a diagnostic interview, boys [−0.84 (–1.23 to −0.44)] had poorer cognitive outcomes than when a rating scale was used [−0.16 (–0.36 to 0.04)].
Conclusions
This review and meta-analysis indicates that maternal depression is only significantly associated with cognitive outcomes in boys. Understanding the role of sex differences in the underlying mechanisms of this association can inform the development of targeted interventions to mitigate the negative effects of maternal depression on offspring cognitive outcomes.
“…Interestingly, maternal prenatal health conditions, including asthma and blood pressure, vary as a function of fetal sex ( Clifton and Murphy, 2004 ; DiPietro et al., 2011 ; Giesbrecht et al., 2015 ; Mitchell et al., 2017 ; Scott et al., 2009 ). Likewise, the child outcomes associated with prenatal maternal depression are highly sex-dependent ( Paquin et al., 2020 ; Wen et al., 2017 , and systematically reviewed in Meaney, 2018 ). We thus stratified the maternal methylome data as a function of fetal sex.…”
“…Maternal depression is an example of adversity experienced in childhood, which affects brain and cognitive development and confers risk for pathology [ 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Other studies have associated a range of maternal mental health difficulties with children’s cognitive or academic achievement [ 73 , 74 ], especially in mathematics [ 51 ] and reading scores [ 75 ]. On the other hand, poor cognitive skills are linked to mental health problems, which results in a vicious cycle.…”
The intention of the South African Children’s Act 38 of 2005 is to provide guarantees for the protection and promotion of optimum health and social outcomes for all children. These guarantees are the provision of basic nutrition, basic health care and social services, optimal family or parental care, as well as protection from maltreatment, neglect and abuse services. However, despite these guarantees, child and maternal mortality remain high in South Africa. The literature identifies maternal depression as a common factor that contributes to negative health and social outcomes for both mothers and their children. Despite the availability of easy-to-use tools, routine screening for maternal depression is not carried out in public health services, which is the source of services for the majority of women in South Africa. The results are that the mothers miss out on being diagnosed and treated for maternal depression, which results in negative child outcomes, such as malnutrition, as well as impacts on mental, social and physical health, and even death. The long-term impacts of untreated maternal depression include compromised child cognitive development, language acquisition and deviant behaviors and economic disadvantage in later life. The author concludes that the neglect of screening for, and treatment of maternal depression therefore violates the constitutional rights of the affected children, and goes against the spirit of the Constitution. The author recommends that maternal and child health services integrate routine screening for maternal depression, which will not only satisfy the Constitutional mandate, but also improve the health and developmental outcomes of the children and reduce child mortality.
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