Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, 7101 Avenue Parc, Montréal, Canada.
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, 3175 chemin de la Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, Canada.
Psychol Med. 2021 Jul;51(9):1431-1440. doi: 10.1017/S0033291721001689. Epub 2021 May 7.
Maternal depression is negatively associated with cognitive development across childhood and adolescence, with mixed evidence on whether this association differs in boys and girls. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of sex-specific estimates of the association between maternal depression and offspring cognitive outcomes.
Seven databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest) were searched for studies examining the longitudinal association between maternal depression and offspring (up to 18 years) cognitive outcomes. Studies were screened and included based on predetermined criteria by two independent reviewers (Cohen's κ = 0.76). We used random-effects models to conduct a meta-analysis and used meta-regression for subgroup analyses. The PROSPERO record for the study is CRD42020161001.
Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Maternal depression was associated with poorer cognitive outcomes in boys [Hedges' g = -0.36 (95% CI -0.60 to -0.11)], but not in girls [-0.17 (-0.41 to 0.07)]. The association in boys varied as a function of the measure of depression used (b = -0.70, p = 0.005): when maternal depression was assessed via a diagnostic interview, boys [-0.84 (-1.23 to -0.44)] had poorer cognitive outcomes than when a rating scale was used [-0.16 (-0.36 to 0.04)].
This review and meta-analysis indicates that maternal depression is only significantly associated with cognitive outcomes in boys. Understanding the role of sex differences in the underlying mechanisms of this association can inform the development of targeted interventions to mitigate the negative effects of maternal depression on offspring cognitive outcomes.
母亲抑郁与儿童期和青春期的认知发展呈负相关，关于这种关联在男孩和女孩中是否存在差异，证据不一。在此，我们对母亲抑郁与后代认知结果之间关联的性别特异性估计值进行了系统回顾和荟萃分析。
在七个数据库（PubMed、EMBASE、PsycINFO、ERIC、CINAHL、Scopus、ProQuest）中搜索了检查母亲抑郁与后代（最多 18 岁）认知结果之间纵向关联的研究。研究由两名独立审查员根据预定标准进行筛选和纳入（Cohen's κ=0.76）。我们使用随机效应模型进行荟萃分析，并使用元回归进行亚组分析。该研究的 PROSPERO 记录为 CRD42020161001。
符合纳入标准的有 12 项研究。母亲抑郁与男孩的认知结果较差相关[Hedges'g=-0.36（95%CI-0.60 至-0.11）]，但与女孩无关[-0.17（-0.41 至 0.07）]。男孩的这种关联是作为使用的抑郁测量方法的函数而变化的（b=-0.70，p=0.005）：当通过诊断访谈评估母亲的抑郁时，男孩[-0.84（-1.23 至-0.44）]的认知结果比使用评分量表时更差[-0.16（-0.36 至 0.04）]。
本综述和荟萃分析表明，母亲抑郁仅与男孩的认知结果显著相关。了解这种关联的潜在机制中性别差异的作用，可以为制定有针对性的干预措施提供信息，以减轻母亲抑郁对后代认知结果的负面影响。
