Persistent, Severe Postpartum Depression Increases Risk of Adverse Outcomes in Children

Children whose mothers reported severe symptoms of postpartum depression lasting at least eight months after childbirth may be more likely to experience behavioral problems and depression compared with children whose mothers ’ postpartum depression was not persistent or severe, suggests astudy published today inJAMA Psychiatry.“Health care professionals should identify these women for further referral because early and effective treatment could reduce the continued exposure of the child,” wrote Elena Netsi, D.Phil., of the University of Oxford and colleagues.To determine whether differing levels of persistence and severity of postpartum depression are associated with subsequent maternal depression and child outcomes, Netsi and colleagues analyzed data contained in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). ALSPAC is an ongoing population-based study examining the overall health of children born in southwest England between April 1991 and December 1992.Maternal depression was measured using the self-rated Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at two and eight months. The authors separated the group into three levels of depression severity, based on EPDS score: moderate (13 to 14 points), marked (15 to 16), and severe (17 or more points). Postnatal depression was considered persistent when an individual scored above the EPDS threshold at both the two- and eight-month postnatal assessment.The authors compared the following outcomes in the children ...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: behavioral problems depression Elena Netsi JAMA Psychiatry maternal depression Myrna Weissman postpartum depression Source Type: research