ArticleJournal of affective disorders2023
Maternal antenatal depression's effects on child developmental delays: Gestational age, postnatal depressive symptoms, and breastfeeding as mediators.
Article in Journal of affective disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Air pollution and autism-like traits: Sensitive periods and joint effects of exposure to sources and constituents of fine particulate matter.Environmental research · 2026Article
- Maternal antenatal depression and offspring DNA methylation.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Maternal Psychological Distress Before and After Childbirth and Neurodevelopmental Delay in Toddlers.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Maternal Mental Health in Pregnancy and Its Impact on Children's Cognitive Development at 18 Months, during the COVID-19 Pandemic (CONCEPTION Study).Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMaternal antenatal depression experienced around conception or during pregnancy may adversely affect child development. This study explores three potential mechanisms of the effects of antenatal depression on children's developmental delays at 2-3 years: gestational age of the child, continued depressive symptoms postnatally, and interrupted breastfeeding practices.
methodsMothers (N = 2888) of 3450 children, including 2303 singletons and 1147 multiples from the Upstate KIDS cohort provided data. Linked hospital discharge data was combined with mothers' reports to identify women with moderate to severe antenatal depression. Gestational age was extracted from birth certificates. Mothers completed a depression screener at 4 months postpartum, reported about their breastfeeding practices from 4 to 12 months postpartum, and completed a developmental delay screener when children were 24, 30, and 36 months.
resultsIn unadjusted path analysis models, mothers with antenatal depression had more postnatal depressive symptoms and breastfed fewer months, which translated into children being more likely to have developmental delays. Gestational age was not a mediator. Effects were similar across girls and boys and singletons and twins, and largely held when adjusting for covariates. LIMITATIONS: Main limitations were the relatively advantaged sample and reliance on maternal report.
conclusionsMaternal antenatal depression may impact child development through continued depressive symptoms in the postpartum period and through reduced breastfeeding duration suggesting additional targets for intervention.
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Registered trials
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