Correlation Between Mothers' Depression and Developmental Delay in Infants Aged 6-18 Months.

Firoozeh Sajedi,Homeira Sajjad,Roshanak Vameghi,Hamid Alavimajd,Sedigheh Amir Aliakbari

doi:10.5539/gjhs.v8n5p11

Abstract

Background:Regarding the importance of children’s developmental status and various factors that delay their development, this study was conducted to examine the correlation between mothers’ depression levels and the developmental delay in infants.Methods:This descriptive study was performed on 1053 mothers and their infants’ age 6 to18 month-old in medical centers affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2014-2015. The participants were selected through multi-stage random sampling. The following instruments were used in this study: A demographic and obstetric specification questionnaire, infant specification questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire to determine the status of the children’s development. The data were analyzed using SPSS19 software, Mann-Whitney; independent T-test and logistic-Regression tests were used.Results:The results showed that 491 mothers (46.7%) suffered mild to extremely severe depression. The delay in infant development was 11.8%. The Mann–Whitney test showed a correlation between mothers’ depression levels and developmental delay in infants (P=0.001). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between mothers’ depression and developmental delays in gross-motor and problem-solving skills (P<0/05). In logistic model age of infants showed significant correlation with developmental delay (P=0.004 OR=1.07), but unwanted pregnancy, gender of infants, type of delivery and socioeconomic status had no correlation with developmental delay.Conclusion:Given the correlation between mothers’ depression and infant development, it is recommended to screen mothers for depression in order to perform early interventions in developmental delay.

Highlights

Despite advances in medical sciences in diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the developmental delay of infants is still considered one of the global health problems in developed and developing countries
The results showed that 491 mothers (46.7%) suffered mild to extremely severe depression
In logistic model age of infants showed significant correlation with developmental delay (P=0.004 OR=1.07), but unwanted pregnancy, gender of infants, type of delivery and socioeconomic status had no correlation with developmental delay

Summary

Introduction

Despite advances in medical sciences in diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the developmental delay of infants is still considered one of the global health problems in developed and developing countries (de Moura et al, 2010). Developmental delay usually refers to children that do not display prominent developmental features that they are expected to for their age (Baker, 2001). It is estimated that approximately 200 million children worldwide do not enjoy a favorable development or cannot achieve it (de Moura et al, 2010). This problem is not prevalent worldwide and even developed countries account for high numbers. 15%–20% of children in the United States suffer developmental or behavioral disabilities www.ccsenet.org/gjhs. Regarding the importance of children’s developmental status and various factors that delay their development, this study was conducted to examine the correlation between mothers’ depression levels and the developmental delay in infants

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion