Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India

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dc.creatorNguyen, Phuong Hong
dc.creatorFriedman, Jed
dc.creatorKak, Mohini
dc.creatorMenon, Purnima
dc.creatorAlderman, Harold
dc.date2018-05-21
dc.date2024-06-21T09:13:58Z
dc.date2024-06-21T09:13:58Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T14:59:29Z
dc.descriptionMaternal depression has been suggested as a risk factor for both poor child growth and development in many low‐ and middle‐income countries, but the validity of many studies is hindered by small sample sizes, varying cut‐offs used in depression diagnostics, and incomplete control of confounding factors. This study examines the association between maternal depressive symptoms (MDSs) and child physical growth and cognitive development in Madhya Pradesh, India, where poverty, malnutrition, and poor mental health coexist. Data were from a baseline household survey (n = 2,934) of a randomized controlled trial assessing an early childhood development programme. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for socio‐economic factors to avoid confounding the association of mental health and child outcomes. MDS (measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale) was categorized as low, medium, and high in 47%, 42%, and 10% of mothers, respectively. The prevalence of child developmental delay ranged from 16% to 27% for various development domains. Compared with children of mothers with low MDS, those of high MDS mothers had lower height‐for‐age, weight‐for‐age, and weight‐for‐height z‐scores (0.22, 0.21, and 0.15, respectively), a higher rate of stunting and underweight (~1.5 times), and higher rate of developmental delay (partial adjusted odds ratio ranged from 1.3–1.8 for different development domains and fully adjusted odds ratio = 1.4 for fine motor). Our results—that MDS is significantly associated with both child undernutrition and development delay—add to the call for practical interventions to address maternal depression to simultaneously address multiple outcomes for both women and children.
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/147395
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/91377
dc.languageen
dc.publisherWiley
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceNguyen, Phuong Hong; Friedman, Jed; Kak, Mohini; Menon, Purnima; and Alderman, Harold. 2018. Maternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India. Maternal and Child Nutrition 14(4): e12621. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12621
dc.subjectchild nutrition
dc.subjectmental health
dc.subjectchild development
dc.subjectstunting
dc.subjectmalnutrition
dc.subjectnutrition
dc.subjectdepression
dc.subjectchild growth
dc.titleMaternal depressive symptoms are negatively associated with child growth and development: Evidence from rural India
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional de Investigación sobre Políticas Alimentarias (IFPRI)