The contribution of maternal depressive symptoms and life events to child behaviour problems.

Abstract

The effect of maternal depressive symptoms and stressful life events on child behaviour problems has been the focus of clinical and epidemiological research for some years. We interviewed 80 women drawn from the New York City area regarding their life events in the preceding 6 months, current levels of depressive symptoms and behaviour problems in their children. For each woman, one child between the ages of 3 to 8 was selected for study analysis. Maternal depressive symptoms and maternal life events in general, as well as undesirable events in particular, contributed independently to child behaviour problems in multivariable analyses controlling for maternal education. This association did not vary by maternal marital status, or gender or age of the child. Events judged on common sense grounds to be especially disruptive of the child's routine did not contribute to child behaviour problems, independently of maternal depressive symptoms. Future research should devote more attention to specification of the life events under study and of factors that may buffer both the mother and the child from their pathogenic effects.