Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42331586›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Long-term disparities and mediators of psychological distress in mothers with and without out-of-home care experience: analysis of prospective cohort data.

Jeongeun Park, Rachel M Hiller, Katherine Shelton, Bethan Carter, Eva A Sprecher, Erin Mckeaveney, Jeri L Damman, Charlotte Robinson, Tara Ramsay-Patel, Lisa Holmes

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In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jeongeun ParkSchool of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK jeongeun.park@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0461-0167
Rachel M HillerDivision of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London, London, UK.
Katherine SheltonSchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Bethan CarterSchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Eva A SprecherDivision of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London, London, UK.
Erin MckeaveneySchool of Psychology, University of Ulster, Coleraine, UK.
Jeri L DammanSchool of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
Charlotte RobinsonSchool of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Tara Ramsay-PatelDivision of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London, London, UK.
Lisa HolmesSchool of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesCare-experienced individuals are at elevated risk of mental health difficulties, yet less is known about their mental health needs in motherhood. This study aims to explore (a) disparities in trajectories of psychological distress in care-experienced versus non-care-experienced mothers as they raise their child from age 3 to 14, and (b) putative postpartum-associated pathways shaping disparities in maternal distress at child age 14. DESIGN AND

settingWe conducted longitudinal secondary data analysis using the prospective United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study data.

participants11 252 mothers and their children were included in the analysis, including mothers who experienced out-of-home care in their childhood (N=156). OUTCOMES: The primary outcomes were psychological distress of mothers at child ages 3, 5, 7, 11 and 14.

resultsRelative to non-care-experienced mothers, care-experienced mothers were consistently more likely to experience distress across child ages 3-14 (coefficient (B)=1.36 (95% CI 0.85 to 1.87)

conclusionsOur evidence underscores the potential value of holistically considering postpartum mental health, psychosocial and financial resources in maternal and early childhood public health interventions to disrupt the cumulative inequity likely faced by care-experienced mothers and prevent their mental ill-health in the long term.

Indexed as

MothersPsychological DistressStress, PsychologicalAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMental HealthPostpartum PeriodProspective StudiesSocioeconomic Disparities in HealthUnited KingdomMENTAL HEALTHMothersPostpartum WomenPSYCHIATRYPsychological StressPUBLIC HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID42331586
PMCPMC13289143

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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.