Parental Depression and Associations with Parenting and Children’s Physical and Mental Health in a Sub-Saharan African Setting

Abstract

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health challenges in low- and middle-income countries. However, the mechanisms of parental depression on children’s development are understudied in these countries. This study examined the prevalence of parental depression, contextual predictors of parental depression, and the associations between parental depression, parenting and children’s development in one of the Sub-Saharan African countries-Uganda. Three hundred and three Ugandan parents of young children were recruited and interviewed. Results indicated that about 28 % of parents were depressed. Contextual factors such as low educational attainment, food insecurity, low social support, and high number of children were associated with parental depression. Structural equation modeling also indicated that Ugandan parents’ depression was associated with less optimal parenting, and higher problem behavior, lower social competence, and poorer physical health and school functioning in children. Results provide several cross cultural consistency evidence in associations among parental depression, parenting, and child development.

Measuring and understanding social-emotional behaviors in preschoolers from rural Pakistan

“…This suggests that food insecurity is not influencing children’s externalizing behavior problems via undernutrition, but possibly through increased psychological stress in the household. There is a larger evidence base supporting the negative effects of maternal depressive symptoms on children’s social-emotional development in LMIC [ 28 , 30 , 31 ]. A recent study in Pakistan, found that maternal depression during the prenatal period and when the child was seven years, were each linked to increased total behavioral difficulties on the SDQ [ 28 ].…”

Timing, intensity, and duration of household food insecurity are associated with early childhood development in Kenya

“…Further, food insecurity is a risk factor for maternal depression in LMICs (Wachs, ). After controlling for socio‐economic status, food insecurity was associated with caregiver psychosocial stress in Ethiopia (Hadley, Tessema, & Muluneh, ), parental depression in Uganda (Huang et al, ), and adverse child mental health in a review of LMICs (Herba, Glover, Ramchandani, & Rondon, ). Poor maternal mental health, in turn, has been associated with reduced child stimulation in Jamaica (Baker‐Henningham, Powell, Walker, & Grantham‐McGregor, ), infants' impaired motor development in Bangladesh (Nasreen, Kabir, Forsell, & Edhborg, ), and negative impacts on child growth in LMICs (Hurley, Surkan, & Black, ).…”

“…In Bangladesh, household food security was associated with better language comprehension and expression after controlling for socioeconomic status (Saha et al, 2010). Food insecurity has also been linked to behaviours and conditions that can affect children's development, including maternal-infant interactions in Bangladesh (Frith, Naved, Persson, Rasmussen, & Frongillo, 2012) and parental depression, poor school functioning, and negative behavioural outcomes in Uganda (Huang, Abura, Theise, & Nakigudde, 2016).…”

Transportability of an Evidence-Based Early Childhood Intervention in a Low-Income African Country: Results of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Study

“…For example, the vast majority of teachers were motivated to learn about and implement the EBI and most schools and teachers have experience in child health promotion activities (Huang et al, 2014). In addition, among Ugandan families, positive parenting practices were related to fewer child behavior problems and better school outcomes (Huang, Abura, Theise, & Nakigudde, 2016). …”