Maternal Mental Health and Its Influence on Children’s Early Development
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Washington, DC: World Bank
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This paper reports on the prevalence
of three facets of mental health—depression, anxiety, and
parenting stress—among mothers of children ages 0–6 years in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Data from mother-child dyads
were analyzed to examine differences in maternal mental
health and early childhood development outcomes by maternal
educational attainment, urban versus rural setting, and
refugee versus non-refugee status. The analysis finds a
higher prevalence of self-reported mental health concerns
among refugee, less-educated, and rural mothers relative to
non-refugee, more-educated, and urban mothers. Maternal
mental health concerns are significantly associated with
lower levels of early childhood development. This paper also
analyzes how exposure to stressors such as food insecurity,
financial insecurity, being impacted by flooding, community
crime, discrimination, and domestic violence exacerbate both
maternal mental health and child outcomes. The regression
analyses indicate a significant and negative compounding
interaction of maternal depression, anxiety, and parenting
stress on early childhood development for younger (0–3
years) and older (3–6 years) children, even after
controlling for stressors and other covariates. Policy
improvements are needed that focus on at-risk communities,
providing mental health services and reducing exposure to
stressors within communities and households.
Palabras clave
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD), DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, PARENTING STRESS, FRAGILE, CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE-AFFECTED (FCV), REFUGEES