Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy, first year postpartum, and in early childhood are associated with poorer child neurodevelopment, according to a new study published in Depression & Anxiety.
In the study that included 2231 mothers, higher average maternal depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy predicted lower total developmental milestones, fine and gross motor skills, communication, problem solving, and personal/social skills when they were assessed in children aged 1.9 to 5.7 years.
Maternal Depression Affects Child's Brain Development
Depressive symptoms in women during and after pregnancy are linked to reduced thickness of the cortex in preschool-age kids.
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‘Higher average maternal depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy predicted lower total developmental milestones in children.’
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"Our findings further suggest that antenatal and post-pregnancy depression have both independent and additive effects on neurodevelopment. Children of mothers with the most chronic and severe depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy had the most neurodevelopmental disadvantages," said co-lead author Dr. Marius Lahti-Pulkkinen, of the University of Helsinki, in Finland.
Source: Eurekalert
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