ArticleBMC pediatrics2025
The role of breastfeeding, antibiotics and antimalarial medicinal exposure in paediatric depression amongst children aged under 5: a population-based study.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Antidepressant effects of artemisinin and its derivatives: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled animal studies.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
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2 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundAlthough paediatric depression is a recognised problem worldwide, there is limited data on its prevalence in children aged under 5 years, and the role of breastfeeding and medicinal exposure. This study examined whether lack of breastfeeding, and exposure to antimalarial and antibiotic medicines, contribute to depression in Nigerian children aged under 5.
methodsThe study examined data from 31,103 children (mean age, 2.11 years (SD, 1.421)), collected during the 6th round of the MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys), completed in 2021. A series of binary logistic regression models were used to analyse the data.
resultsChildren exposed to antimalarial medicines, specifically ACT (AOR = 1.760, 95%CI [1.316-2.355]), and artesunate injections (AOR = 1.757, 95%CI [1.150-2.684]), and those who were not breastfed (AOR = 0.776, 95%CI [0.625-0.963]), had greater odds of depression, after adjusting for potential confounders. The association between ACT medication use and depression was salient in male children (AOR = 2.347, 95%CI [1.547-3.559]), whereas the relationship between breastfeeding and depression was primarily observed in female children (AOR = 0.689, 95%CI [0.498-0.951]). Robustness checks including variations in managing missing data, breastfeeding measurement, and analysis across subgroups for multiple covariates (e.g., geographical area, mothers' education, wealth index, medical symptoms), highlighted the importance of contextual factors.
conclusionsThis is the first population-based study to examine the role of breastfeeding and medicinal use in suspected depression amongst children aged under 5, from sub-Sharan Africa. Overall, exposure to antimalaria treatment, particularly ACT, and inadequate breastfeeding may help identify young children susceptible to paediatric depression. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
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