Perinatal depression and children's developmental outcomes at 2 years postpartum

Abstract

BackgroundPerinatal depression has been associated with a range of adverse outcomes for children's neurodevelopment. AimsThis study sought to examine the impact of maternal perinatal depression on 2-year-olds' social-emotional, cognitive, language, and adaptive behavioural development, using data collected at the fifth timepoint of a prospective longitudinal study, which followed participants from pregnancy through to toddlerhood. Participants61 women and their children (M age = 26 months, SD = 1.83; 35 boys and 26 girls), of the original cohort of 98, who had been recruited during pregnancy, and stratified into three participant groups: 1. Depressed (those with a clinical diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder [MDD]); 2. History (currently euthymic with a previous MDD episode); 3. Control (no history of psychiatric disorder). Outcome measuresDepression severity was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and children's developmental outcomes were measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd Edition (BSID-III). ResultsNo direct associations between mothers' depression and children's social-emotional, cognitive or language development were observed. However, an unexpected positive association between maternal depression and children's social adaptive behaviour was found, which conferred an advantage on children whose mothers had suffered from depression. ConclusionsThe current findings contribute to the literature examining the impact of perinatal depression on early childhood outcomes. The unexpected positive association found between maternal depression and children's adaptive behaviour should prompt further research examining the adaptive resilience of young children exposed to maternal depression. This is discussed in the context of differential-susceptibility theory.