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Low-Level Symptoms of Depression in Mothers of Young Children are Associated with Behavior Problems in Middle Childhood

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Abstract

Objectives Examine the association between mothers’ low- and high-level depressive symptoms in early childhood and children’s behavior problems in middle childhood. Methods We used data from 1844 families in a multi-site, longitudinal study beginning when children were 14 months and continuing to age 11 years. Children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at age 11 were assessed using the child behavior checklist for ages 6–18. Mothers’ scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale when children were 14 months were used to classify them into three groups: ‘no depressive symptoms’, ‘low-level depressive symptoms (below the clinical cut-off)’ and ‘clinically significant depressive symptoms (above the clinical cut-off).’ Results Mothers were racially/ethnically diverse, including Caucasian (38.9 %), African-American (34.4 %), Hispanic (21.6 %), or other (5.1 %). More than one-third (39.2 %) were teenaged mothers, and 46.0 % did not complete high school. Of the 1844 families, 1172 had age 11 child outcome data. Logistic regression analyses controlling for family demographics revealed a significant association between early maternal depressive symptoms and later child behavioral outcomes. Both low level and clinically significant symptoms were associated with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. For example, children whose mothers had low-level depressive symptoms were twice as likely to have clinically elevated internalizing problems compared with children whose mothers never had symptoms of depression. Conclusions Children whose mothers experience low-level depressive symptoms early in their development have increased risk for later behavioral problems, suggesting a possible need for new screening and intervention strategies for mothers with lower than clinically elevated symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

Findings reported here are based on research conducted as part of the national Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Contracts 105-95-1936 and 233-02-0086/HHSP233200600003T to Mathematica Policy Research, Princeton, NJ, and Columbia University’s Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, in conjunction with the Early Head Start Research Consortium. The Consortium consists of representatives from 17 programs participating in the evaluation, 15 local research teams, the evaluation contractors, and ACF. Research institutions in the Consortium include Administration for Children and Families; Catholic University of America; Columbia University; Harvard University; Mathematica Policy Research; Medical University of South Carolina; Michigan State University; New York University; NPC Research; University of Arkansas; University of California at Los Angeles; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of Pittsburgh; University of Washington College of Education; University of Washington School of Nursing; and Utah State University. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 521 Jack Stephens Drive #530, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA

    Nicola A. Conners-Burrow, Lorraine McKelvey, Leanne Whiteside-Mansell, Shashank Kraleti, Glenn Mesman, Khiela Holmes & Angela Kyzer

  2. Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

    Deborah Perry

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  1. Nicola A. Conners-Burrow
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Correspondence to Nicola A. Conners-Burrow.

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Conners-Burrow, N.A., McKelvey, L., Perry, D. et al. Low-Level Symptoms of Depression in Mothers of Young Children are Associated with Behavior Problems in Middle Childhood. Matern Child Health J 20, 516–524 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1849-0

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