Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40102757›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

An examination of multiple illness and social related stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mental health; findings from a birth cohort in rural Pakistan.

Joanna Maselko, Amanda Collins, Victoria Baranov, Sonia Bhalotra, Michelle S Escobar Carias, Allison Frost, Sarah C Haight, Amina Bibi, Siham Sikander

Abstract read
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Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Joanna MaselkoDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. jmaselko@unc.edu.
Amanda CollinsDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
Victoria BaranovDepartment of Economics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Sonia BhalotraDepartment of Economics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
Michelle S Escobar CariasDepartment of Economics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Allison FrostCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
Sarah C HaightDepartment of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
Amina BibiGlobal Institute of Human Development, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Siham SikanderDepartment of Primary Care & Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

Funding

Impact of Perinatal Depression treatment on child developmental outcomesR01HD075875 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI MASELKO, JOANNA · 2014 to 2024
$5.2M
South Asian Hub for Advocacy, Research & Education on Mental Health (SHARE)U19MH095687 · NIMH · LONDON SCH/HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE · PI PATEL, VIKRAM H, RAHMAN, ATIF · 2011 to 2015
$2.9M
Risk and resilience: Evaluating the multigenerational effect of a psychosocial maternal depression intervention against COVID-19-related stressorsRF1MH132367 · NIMH · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI BARANOV, VICTORIA, MASELKO, JOANNA · 2022 to 2022
$2.1M
AHRQ HHS T32 HS000032AHRQ HHS T32-HS000032Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development HD075875NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD075875NIMH NIH HHS MH132367NIMH NIH HHS MH95687NIMH NIH HHS RF1 MH132367NIMH NIH HHS U19 MH095687
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeIn an effort to improve preparation for future pandemics, researchers continue to examine the myriad psychosocial pathways through which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted mental health. Moving beyond extant research on factors such as financial difficulties or social isolation, we present findings on two less documented pathways: (a) COVID illness and death within one's social network and (b) experiencing pandemic-related basic needs stressors, beyond financial difficulties, on the mental health of mothers and children in South Asia.

methodsData come from the 2021-2022 wave of the Bachpan birth cohort (6-year-old children, n = 814 mother-child dyads) in rural Pakistan. Multivariable regressions were used to estimate the association between COVID illness/death among family/friend/community members and basic needs stressors (e.g. difficulties with food, housing, medical care) with 4 outcomes: maternal anxiety (GAD-7) and depression symptoms (PHQ-9), and child emotional/behavioral problems (SDQ-TD) and anxiety (SCAS).

resultsMaternal mental health was independently predicted by illness within the mother's network and basic needs stressors, even after accounting for pre-pandemic socioeconomic status, depression, and pandemic-related financial stressors. Specifically, having a family member/friend who became ill was associated with 1.29 higher PHQ-9 scores (95% CI: 0.34, 2.24), compared to those who did not know anyone affected. Increased basic needs stressors were also associated with higher PHQ-9 and GAD-7 levels and children's behavioral/emotional problems and anxiety. Social network proximity to COVID illness/death was not associated with child mental health outcomes.

conclusionThese findings provide evidence of additional pathways through which prolonged global events, like the pandemic, can have multigenerational mental health impacts.

Indexed as

COVID-19Mental HealthMothersStress, PsychologicalAdultAnxietyBirth CohortChildDepressionFemaleHumansMalePakistanPandemicsRural PopulationAnxietyChild mental healthCOVID-19DepressionMechanismsSocial stressors

Identifiers

PMID40102757
PMCPMC11921503

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.