Abstract
Background
There have been only a few previous population-based studies of symptoms of depression in young children. There are no previous population-based studies which examine the factors which might be causally associated with depression in very young children.
Methods
Data are from a cohort study of pregnant women who gave birth to a live singleton baby in a large public hospital in Brisbane, Australia. The Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) involves a 5-year follow-up, with mothers completing a short form of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) describing the mental health of their child. Five groups of variables (socio-demographic, pre- and perinatal, maternal mental health, maternal lifestyle and maternal attitude to the child) were used to predict CBCL depression scores at the 5-year follow-up.
Results
There are many factors associated with maternal reports of symptoms of depression in 5-year-old children. These include marital partner changes, mother’s health problems in pregnancy, child health over the first 6 months of life, maternal anxiety and marital satisfaction early in the child’s development and the mother’s attitude towards caregiving. A multiple risk factor model indicates higher rates of depression for children experiencing multiple exposures to risk. While a number of exposures are associated with increased risk, many of those children perceived to be depressed appear to lack any measured exposures.
Conclusion
Many children as young as 5 years of age are observed to experience multiple symptoms of depression. The majority of children exposed to high levels of risk do not appear to become depressed; they appear to be resilient. The majority of children who experience multiple symptoms of depression appear to lack any known exposures to risk.
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Najman, J.M., Hallam, D., Bor, W. et al. Predictors of depression in very young children. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 40, 367–374 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0895-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0895-0