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Characteristics of Mothers with Depressive Symptoms Outside the Postpartum Period

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Abstract

Numerous studies have investigated the deleterious effects of maternal depression on child outcomes. Knowledge of characteristics of these mothers is incomplete, as most studies utilize small samples or limit investigation to the postpartum period. Utilizing data from a nationally representative sample of 7,211 fathers and mothers living in households with children aged 5–17 years who participated in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) 2004–2006, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) was used to assess parental depressive symptoms, the Short Form-12 (SF-12) was used to examine paternal and maternal physical health, and the Columbia Impairment Scale was used to measure child behavioral or emotional problems. In multivariate analyses, maternal unemployment (AOR 1.76, 95 % CI 1.31–2.35); living with smokers (AOR 1.82, 95 % CI 1.12–2.94); poor maternal physical health (AOR 2.31; 95 % CI 1.81–2.94); living with children with behavioral or emotional problems (AOR 2.95, 95 % CI 2.30–3.96); and paternal depressive symptoms (AOR 5.11, 95 % CI 1.97–13.25) each were independently associated with increased rates of maternal depressive symptoms. This paper is the first we are aware of to use a nationally representative sample to investigate characteristics associated with maternal depressive symptoms and found that maternal unemployment, living with smokers, poor maternal physical health, having children with behavioral or emotional problems, and paternal depressive symptoms are each independently associated with maternal depressive symptoms. In these data, paternal depressive symptoms are associated with the greatest risk of mothers exhibiting depressive symptoms, a finding that we believe has never before been shown.

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Abbreviations

AOR:

Adjusted odds ratio

MEPS:

Medical expenditure panel survey

CI:

Confidence interval

CIDI:

Composite international diagnostic interview

CIS:

Columbia impairment scale

CSHCN:

Children with special health care needs

DSM-IV:

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders IV

HPA:

Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal

MCS:

Mental component score

NICHD:

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

NHIS:

National health interview survey

PCS:

Physical component scale

PHQ-2:

Patient health questionnaire-2

SF-12:

Short-form 12

SHS:

Secondhand smoke

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, NBV 8S4-11, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Ying-Hua Liu & Michael Weitzman

  2. Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Michael Weitzman

  3. New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    David G. Rosenthal & Nicole Learned

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  1. David G. Rosenthal
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  2. Nicole Learned
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  3. Ying-Hua Liu
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  4. Michael Weitzman
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Correspondence to Michael Weitzman.

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Rosenthal, D.G., Learned, N., Liu, YH. et al. Characteristics of Mothers with Depressive Symptoms Outside the Postpartum Period. Matern Child Health J 17, 1030–1037 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1084-x

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