Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
J Adolesc Health. 2014 Jan;54(1):88-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.07.038. Epub 2013 Sep 20.
Cross-sectional and retrospective studies have highlighted the long-term negative effects of maternal depression on offspring physical, social, and emotional development, but longitudinal research is needed to clarify the pathways by which maternal depression during pregnancy and early childhood affects offspring outcomes. The current study tested one developmental pathway by which maternal depression during pregnancy might negatively impact offspring mental health in young adulthood, via poor physical health in early childhood.
The sample consisted of 815 Australian youth and their mothers who were followed for 20 years. Mothers reported on their own depressive symptoms during pregnancy and offspring early childhood. Youth completed interviews about health-related stress and social functioning at age 20 years, and completed a questionnaire about their own depressive symptoms 2 to 5 years later.
Path analysis indicated that prenatal maternal depressive symptoms predicted worse physical health during early childhood for offspring, and this effect was partially explained by ongoing maternal depression in early childhood. Offspring poor physical health during childhood predicted increased health-related stress and poor social functioning at age 20. Finally, increased health-related stress and poor social functioning predicted increased levels of depressive symptoms later in young adulthood. Maternal depression had a significant total indirect effect on youth depression via early childhood health and its psychosocial consequences.
Poor physical health in early childhood and its effects on young adults' social functioning and levels of health related stress is one important pathway by which maternal depression has long-term consequences for offspring mental health.
横断面和回顾性研究强调了母亲抑郁对后代身体、社交和情感发展的长期负面影响，但需要进行纵向研究以阐明母亲在怀孕期间和幼儿期的抑郁如何影响后代的结果。本研究通过检验一种发展途径来检验这一问题，即母亲在怀孕期间的抑郁可能通过幼儿期较差的身体健康状况对成年早期的后代心理健康产生负面影响。
该样本包括 815 名澳大利亚青年及其母亲，他们的随访时间长达 20 年。母亲在怀孕期间和幼儿期报告了自己的抑郁症状。青年在 20 岁时完成了关于健康相关压力和社交功能的访谈，并在 2 至 5 年后完成了一份关于自己抑郁症状的问卷。
路径分析表明，产前母亲的抑郁症状预测了后代幼儿期较差的身体健康状况，而这种影响部分可以由幼儿期持续的母亲抑郁来解释。儿童时期较差的身体健康状况预测了成年早期健康相关压力和社交功能不良。最后，健康相关压力和社交功能不良预测了成年早期晚些时候抑郁症状的增加。母亲抑郁通过儿童早期健康及其对年轻人社交功能和健康相关压力水平的影响，对年轻人的抑郁有显著的总间接影响。
幼儿期较差的身体健康状况及其对年轻人社交功能和健康相关压力水平的影响，是母亲抑郁对后代心理健康产生长期影响的一个重要途径。
