Depression in infants likely to happen if mothers were depressed during pregnancy: Study

Recent research performed by the University of Bristol suggests that children born to depressed women during and after pregnancy are more likely to acquire depression symptoms themselves by the age of 24. The study's findings were published in the BJPsych Open journal. The study looked at survey data from 5,029 people aged 10 to 24 years old over 14 years to see how depression risks change throughout childhood and adolescence.

Researchers also discovered that children whose mothers had a history of postnatal depression experienced increased depression symptoms over time, but children whose mothers had a history of antenatal depression experienced greater total levels of depression throughout their lives. This emphasises the necessity of prenatal and postnatal depression therapies and support. 

Trajectories of repeated measures of mood in offspring

Senior author and senior lecturer in psychiatric epidemiology at the University of Bristol, Dr Rebecca Pearson, said that by tracking trajectories of repeated measures of mood in offspring of depressed mothers, from childhood through adulthood, they were able to provide further insight into how the well-known intergenerational risk of depressed mood presents over time.

According to Dr Priya Rajyaguru, the study's first author, this study demonstrates that children of parents with both prenatal and postnatal depression are at greatest risk of depression themselves, and this risk appears to persist throughout adolescence into early adulthood. She further said that they also discovered some disparities in terms of maternal depression timing.

The data was gathered from a predominantly white and middle-class group. Various research is needed to look at more populations and circumstances across cultures, such as parenting styles, peer relationships and other factors. Manchester Metropolitan University contributed expertise to the study.

Father's mental health also influences the child's future mental health

Dr Joanne Black, Chair of the Faculty of Perinatal Psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists stated that the study reveals that the timing of depression in parents during pregnancy, after childbirth or both are all critical risk factors for the child's future mental health. Dr Black also said that although the sample size of fathers was limited, the study highlights relevant considerations about paternal mental health visibility. They need more research to understand what greater support for fathers would look like because their mental health isn't routinely checked but still influences the child's future mental health.

(Inputs from ANI)

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