The Impact of Maternal Depression in Pregnancy on Early Child Development

Abstract

Postpartum depression – a common condition – has been associated with developmental problems in the offspring of affected women. Because many women who are depressed following childbirth also were depressed while pregnant, a study was planned to examine the relationship, if any, between depressive symptoms during pregnancy and child development at age 18 months. This prospective cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, enrolled 9244 pregnant women and children. Data were collected at 18 and 32 weeks’ gestation and 8 weeks and 8 months postnatally using a self-report measure of depression, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The major measure of outcome at age 18 months was a modified Denver Development Screening Test. The overall incidence of developmental delay in these children was 9%. Fourteen percent of women were depressed on at least one occasion antenatally but not at either of the postnatal assessments. Another 5% of women were depressed postnatally but not before childbirth. Only 1.4% of women were depressed both before and after giving birth. Persistent depression (both preand postpartum) was associated with developmental delay; the odds ratio was 1.34, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.11–1.62. These findings support the view that the mother’s psychological well-being during pregnancy has significant implications for the child’s development. Some changes in child development previously ascribed to postpartum depression may be in part a result of depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Obstetricians, midwives, and general practitioners all are able to take an active role in identifying maternal depression.