Maternal Depression and Child Outcomes

Abstract

<P>Among the various factors influencing child behavioral and developmental outcomes, parental functioning, parent-child relationships, and the home environment have consistently emerged as important variables. Being raised in a family where one or both parents experience mental health problems, particularly depression, can result in detrimental cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioral outcomes in their children. Although genetic factors certainly contribute to this relationship, environmental factors also contribute substantially. Most research has looked at maternal depression, with little attention on paternal depression. Additionally, although parent-child influences are bidirectional and having a child with special needs or a difficult temperament affects the emotional functioning of the parent, it is believed that parental functioning more strongly influences child behavior and development than vice versa. Therefore, this article primarily focuses on the effects of maternal versus paternal depression upon the child, and the environmental factors that mediate this association, specifically, the quality of the parent-child relationship and the quality of the home environment. In order to understand the effects of maternal depression on children, it is first important to review adult depression in general. </P> <H4>ABOUT THE AUTHORS</H4> <P>Patti L. Johnson, PhD, is Director, Pediatric Psychology Fellowship Program, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington. Eric M Flake, MD, is Major, Medical Corps, U.S. Air Force, and Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Fellow, Madigan Army Medical Center. </P> <P>Address correspondence to: Patti L. Johnson, PhD, Madigan Army Medical Center, Attention: MCHJ-P, Tacoma WA 98431; or email: <A HREF="mailto:Patti.johnson@amedd.army.mil">Patti.johnson@amedd.army.mil</A>. </P> <P>Dr. Johnson and Dr. Flake have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.</P> <P>The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States government. </P> <h4>EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES</h4> <ol> <li>Explain how maternal depression affects the parent-child relationship.</li> <li>Describe at least one characteristic of maternal depression in infants, toddlers/preschoolers, school-age children, and adolescents.</li> <li>Recommend at least one office-based technique to screen at-risk families, as well an intervention to use with identified families.</li> </ol>