ArticlePsychological medicine2019
Temporal effects of maternal psychological distress on child mental health problems at ages 3, 5, 7 and 11: analysis from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.
Article in Psychological medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Systematic review: Symptoms of parental depression and anxiety and offspring overweight.Revista de saude publica · 2020Pooled it
- Article
- Ethnicity, Poverty, and Academic Success and Self-Esteem at the End of Primary School: Family and Child Processes of Agency and Emotion.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- The impact of school absence on mental health in children and young people: Analysis of an English national birth cohort.PloS one · 2026Article
- Does cumulative adverse socioeconomic exposure mediate the association of maternal mental ill health at birth and adolescent mental ill health at age 17? An analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2023Article
- The Contribution across Three Generations of Mercury Exposure to Attempted Suicide among Children and Youth in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Canada: An Intergenerational Analysis.Environmental health perspectives · 2023Article
- Article
- Marginal Structural Models for Life-Course Theories and Social Epidemiology: Definitions, Sources of Bias, and Simulated Illustrations.American journal of epidemiology · 2022Article
- Case Report: A Case Study Significance of the Reflective Parenting for the Child Development.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Relationship between paternal psychological distress and involvement in childcare among fathers of preschool-aged children: mediating effect of maternal psychological distress.BMC pediatrics · 2019Article
- Maternal mental health at 5 years and childhood overweight or obesity at 11 years: evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2019Article
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9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPsychological distress is common among women of childbearing age, and limited longitudinal research suggests prolonged exposure to maternal distress is linked to child mental health problems. Estimating effects of maternal distress over time is difficult due to potential influences of child mental health problems on maternal distress and time-varying confounding by family circumstances.
methodsWe analysed the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample with data collected throughout childhood. Adopting a marginal structural modelling framework, we investigated effects of exposure to medium/high levels of maternal psychological distress (Kessler-6 score 8+) on child mental health problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire borderline/abnormal behaviour cut-off) using maternal and child mental health data at 3, 5, 7 and 11 years, accounting for the influence of child mental health on subsequent maternal distress, and baseline and time-varying confounding.
resultsPrior and concurrent exposures to maternal distress were associated with higher levels of child mental health problems at ages 3, 5, 7 and 11 years. For example, elevated risks of child mental health problems at 11 years were associated with exposure to maternal distress from 3 years [risk ratio (RR) 1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.49)] to 11 years [RR 2.15 (95% CI 1.89-2.45)]. Prolonged exposure to maternal distress at ages 3, 5, 7 and 11 resulted in an almost fivefold increased risk of child mental health problems.
conclusionsPrior, concurrent and, particularly, prolonged exposure to maternal distress raises risks for child mental health problems. Greater support for mothers experiencing distress is likely to benefit the mental health of their children.
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