Title: Maternal depression increases infant risk of diarrhoeal illness: -- a cohort study.

POPLINE Document Number: 314436

Author(s):

Rahman A
Bunn J
Lovel H
Creed F

Source citation:

Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2007 Jan;92(1):24-28.

Abstract:

The aims were to examine the associations between postnatal depression in mothers and diarrhoeal illness in their infants in the first year of life in a low-income country. Using a prospective cohort design, 265 infants (n = 130 of mothers having a depressive episode according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, at 3 months postnatal and n = 135 of psychologically well mothers) living in rural Rawalpindi, Pakistan, were followed up for 1 year. Frequency of diarrhoeal episodes was measured fortnightly by health workers using a standard questionnaire. Infants of depressed mothers had significantly more diarrhoeal episodes per year than those of controls (mean 5.5 v 4.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9 to 2.0). The relative risk of having >5 diarrhoeal episodes per year in infants of depressed mothers was 2.3 (95% CI 1.6 to 3.1). The association remained significant after adjustment for other risk factors by multivariate analysis. Maternal depression is associated with infant diarrhoeal morbidity in a low-income community setting. It is independent of the effects of known factors such as undernutrition, socioeconomic status and parental education. Preventive child health programmes targeting mothers must consider their mental health. (author's)

Keywords:

Pakistan
Research Report
Questionnaires
Cohort Analysis
Infant
Mothers
Depression
Risk Factors
Diarrhea, Infantile
Malnutrition
Socioeconomic Status
Education
Asia, Southern
Asia
Developing Countries
Research Methodology
Youth
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Parents
Family Relationships
Family Characteristics
Family and Household
Sociocultural Factors
Mental Disorders
Diseases
Biology
Diarrhea
Nutrition Disorders
Socioeconomic Factors
Economic Factors