Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India

Maternal depression has been suggested as a risk factor for both poor child growth and development in many low‐ and middle‐income countries, but the validity of many studies is hindered by small sample sizes, varying cut‐offs used in depression diagnostics, and incomplete control of confounding fact...

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Main Authors: Nguyen, Phuong Hong, Friedman, Jed, Kak, Mohini, Menon, Purnima, Alderman, Harold
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147395
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author Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Friedman, Jed
Kak, Mohini
Menon, Purnima
Alderman, Harold
author_browse Alderman, Harold
Friedman, Jed
Kak, Mohini
Menon, Purnima
Nguyen, Phuong Hong
author_facet Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Friedman, Jed
Kak, Mohini
Menon, Purnima
Alderman, Harold
author_sort Nguyen, Phuong Hong
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Maternal depression has been suggested as a risk factor for both poor child growth and development in many low‐ and middle‐income countries, but the validity of many studies is hindered by small sample sizes, varying cut‐offs used in depression diagnostics, and incomplete control of confounding factors. This study examines the association between maternal depressive symptoms (MDSs) and child physical growth and cognitive development in Madhya Pradesh, India, where poverty, malnutrition, and poor mental health coexist. Data were from a baseline household survey (n = 2,934) of a randomized controlled trial assessing an early childhood development programme. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for socio‐economic factors to avoid confounding the association of mental health and child outcomes. MDS (measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale) was categorized as low, medium, and high in 47%, 42%, and 10% of mothers, respectively. The prevalence of child developmental delay ranged from 16% to 27% for various development domains. Compared with children of mothers with low MDS, those of high MDS mothers had lower height‐for‐age, weight‐for‐age, and weight‐for‐height z‐scores (0.22, 0.21, and 0.15, respectively), a higher rate of stunting and underweight (~1.5 times), and higher rate of developmental delay (partial adjusted odds ratio ranged from 1.3–1.8 for different development domains and fully adjusted odds ratio = 1.4 for fine motor). Our results—that MDS is significantly associated with both child undernutrition and development delay—add to the call for practical interventions to address maternal depression to simultaneously address multiple outcomes for both women and children.
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spelling CGSpace1473952025-12-08T10:29:22Z Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India Nguyen, Phuong Hong Friedman, Jed Kak, Mohini Menon, Purnima Alderman, Harold child nutrition mental health child development stunting malnutrition nutrition depression child growth Maternal depression has been suggested as a risk factor for both poor child growth and development in many low‐ and middle‐income countries, but the validity of many studies is hindered by small sample sizes, varying cut‐offs used in depression diagnostics, and incomplete control of confounding factors. This study examines the association between maternal depressive symptoms (MDSs) and child physical growth and cognitive development in Madhya Pradesh, India, where poverty, malnutrition, and poor mental health coexist. Data were from a baseline household survey (n = 2,934) of a randomized controlled trial assessing an early childhood development programme. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for socio‐economic factors to avoid confounding the association of mental health and child outcomes. MDS (measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale) was categorized as low, medium, and high in 47%, 42%, and 10% of mothers, respectively. The prevalence of child developmental delay ranged from 16% to 27% for various development domains. Compared with children of mothers with low MDS, those of high MDS mothers had lower height‐for‐age, weight‐for‐age, and weight‐for‐height z‐scores (0.22, 0.21, and 0.15, respectively), a higher rate of stunting and underweight (~1.5 times), and higher rate of developmental delay (partial adjusted odds ratio ranged from 1.3–1.8 for different development domains and fully adjusted odds ratio = 1.4 for fine motor). Our results—that MDS is significantly associated with both child undernutrition and development delay—add to the call for practical interventions to address maternal depression to simultaneously address multiple outcomes for both women and children. 2018-05-21 2024-06-21T09:13:58Z 2024-06-21T09:13:58Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147395 en Open Access Wiley Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Friedman, Jed; Kak, Mohini; Menon, Purnima; and Alderman, Harold. 2018. Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India. Maternal and Child Nutrition 14(4): e12621. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12621
spellingShingle child nutrition
mental health
child development
stunting
malnutrition
nutrition
depression
child growth
Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Friedman, Jed
Kak, Mohini
Menon, Purnima
Alderman, Harold
Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India
title Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India
title_full Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India
title_fullStr Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India
title_full_unstemmed Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India
title_short Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India
title_sort maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development evidence from rural india
topic child nutrition
mental health
child development
stunting
malnutrition
nutrition
depression
child growth
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147395
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