Can Mother's Depression Affect Infant's Development?

Abstract

Background: The mental state of the mother is one of the factors influencing the development of infants. Besides, the quality of the child's relationship with her/his parent is very important in childhood development. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the relationship between the mother's depression and developmental disorders in infants. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a sample size of 311 subjects. The study population included all infants and their mothers who were referred to health centers of the city of Hamadan, Iran, to receive the usual one-year care. Mothers’ depression was assessed with the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory, and children’s developmental disabilities were assessed with one-year Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Results: The mean age of mothers in this study was 29.7 ± 5.6. The prevalence of developmental disorders in infants was 3.5%. This study showed that mothers' depression had no significant relationship with any of the developmental domains in infants. None of the developmental domains in infants were related to the mother's occupation and education. However, the gross motor skills (P-value: 0.007) and problem-solving skills (P-value: 0.031) were significantly related to the socioeconomic level, and communication (P-value: 0.034), and personal-social skills (P-value: 0.026) of the infant were directly related to the mother's age. Conclusions: Mother's depression is not related to the infant's developmental disorders. There is a relationship between the socioeconomic level of the family and gross motor and problem-solving skills of the infant. The mother’s age is directly related to communication and personal-social skills of the infant. Keywords Mother's Depression Developmental Disability Infant