Hope, 2019 United Kingdom n = 9,206 Cohort |
To determine whether children’s exposure to average or severe maternal mental distress at age of 5 was associated with increased risks of overweight and obesity at age of 11. |
Maternal mental disorder (average ≥ 4, severe ≥ 13) (5 years after childbirth) Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler-6) |
BMI (normal, overweight, obese) 11 years old Multinomial logistic regression (sex and ethnicity of the child, maternal BMI, smoking during pregnancy, birth weight, breastfeeding time, food introduction, maternal education, family structure, income, mother’s participation in activities with the child, child’s sleep and screen time; mediators: dietary factors and physical activity of the child) |
- The risk of obesity at age 11 increased with the severity of maternal mental distress at age 5: RRR (moderate) = 1.43; 95%CI 1.17–1.75 and RRR (severe) = 2.27; 95%CI 1.42–3.63. - The adjustment for each set of explanatory factors (particularly the first years and sociodemographic confounding factors) reduced but did not eliminate these high risks. - In the fully adjusted model, the risks were mitigated to non-significance: RRR (moderate) = 1.14; 95%CI 0.92–1.41 and RRR (severe) = 1.26; CI95% 0.75–2.11. |
Lima, 2017 Brazil n = 1,381 Cohort |
To check associations between maternal depressive symptoms with childhood malnutrition or overweight. |
Maternal depression (≥ 22; ≥ 12) (prenatal, 12 and 24 months) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) |
BMIz (> 2 SD) 12–23 months Logistic regression (family income, schooling, number of children) |
- No associations were found between MDS and childhood overweight (OR = 1.07; 95%CI 0.67–1.71). |
Blanco et al., 2017 Spain n = 100 (50 cases, 50 controls) Case-control |
To analyze the differences in maternal depression and anxiety, family functioning, expressed emotion and coping skills among mothers of children with obesity and normal weight. |
Depression (≥ 20) and maternal anxiety (p > 75) (8–12 years of children) The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI) |
BMIz (cases: p ≥ 97, controls: p < 85) 8-12 years old Path analysis Model of structural equations (adjusted for maternal BMI; model: critical comments, emotional overinvolvement, maladaptive coping) |
- Mothers of obese children had a higher anxiety trait (z = -2.58; p = 0.01) and a tendency to significance for anxiety status (z = -1.85; p = 0.064). - There was an association between child’s obesity and risk of maternal depression (z = 4.39; p = 0.036). - In the trajectory analysis, maternal depression or anxiety did not directly predict the BMIz of the children (-0.13; p = 0.244). - Indirect effects were found due to the association between maternal depression or anxiety and emotional overinvolvement (indirect effect: 0.19; p = 0.006) and maladaptive coping (indirect effect: 0.09; p = 0.016). |
de Castro et al., 2017 Mexico n = 4,240 Cross-sectional |
To study the association of maternal depressive symptoms and early child health and development outcomes in mothers of low and high socioeconomic status. |
Maternal depression (≥ 9) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) |
BMIz (> 2 SD) Under 5 years Wald for complex samples |
- There was no significant difference for overweight of children between mothers with and without depressive symptoms (10.5% versus 9.72%, respectively; p = 0.66). |
Audelo et al., 2016 USA (Mexican ethnicity) n = 332 Cohort |
Prospectively investigate the association between depressive symptoms in women with children aged between 1 and 7 years, and childhood overweight and obesity at seven years in Latin families. |
Maternal depression (moderate ≥ 16, severe ≥ 20) (1; 3,5 and 7years of children) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) |
BMIp (overweight ≥ 85, obesity ≥ 95) 7 years old Multiple logistic regression (number of years in the USA, pre-gestational weight, smoking during pregnancy, poverty status, housing density, social support, birth weight, food insecurity at 7 years) |
- Children of women with recurrent depression (in 3 moments) were more likely to be overweight or obese at 7 years of age (OR = 2.4; 95%CI 1.1–5.6). - Maternal depression once or twice in thus period did not affect the child’s BMI. |
Brentani, 2016 Brazil n = 798 Cross-sectional |
To analyze the empirical relationship between maternal depression and development of 1-year-old children using cohort data. |
Maternal depression (possible 10–13, probable ≥ 13) Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) |
BMIz (> 2 SD) 12 months Multivariate linear regression (child: age, sex, twin, SGA, premature; mother: age, schooling, marital status, income) |
- No association was found between maternal depression and obesity of children (delta = 0.012; p > 0.05). |
Morrissey & Dagher, 2014 USA n = 6,500 Cohort |
To study the early and contemporary associations between maternal depressive symptoms and children’s BMI, obesity and food intake. |
Maternal Depression (≥ 9) (9 months; 2, 4 and 5.5 years of children) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) 9 months, 4 and 5.5 years Depression Scale of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form (CIDI-SF): 2 years old |
W/Lz (at 9 months) – (≥ p95) BMIz (2, 4 and 5.5 years) – (≥ p95) Linear model of probabilities (child’s age, sex, race/ethnicity, health insurance, pre-gestational weight, maternal and paternal working hours, family structure, poverty situation, urban or rural area; parents’ schooling) |
- MDS were associated with a small decrease in the probability of the child being obese (0.8 percentage points). - Longer duration of maternal depressive symptoms was associated with higher BMI (0.02 SD) among children with parents without a university degree. |
USA Cohort |
To examine the association between maternal depressive symptoms during children’s early childhood and, later, overweight in childhood. |
Maternal Depression (≥ 16) (1, 24 and 36 months of children) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) |
BMIp (≥ 85) 1st, 3rd and 6th grades Generalized estimation equation (child: birth weight, race, sex; maternal: race, age, schooling, work, marital status, family income, breastfeeding, smoking before pregnancy, social support) |
- Children of depressed mothers in all three moments were more likely to be overweight than those of undepressed mothers: OR = 1.7; 95%CI 1.01–2.87 in the model adjusted for child characteristics and OR = 2.13; 95%CI 1.05-4.31 in the model adjusted for maternal characteristics. |
Ramasubramanian, 2013 United Kingdom n = 10,465 Cross-sectional |
To cross-sectionally examine the relationship between mother’s severe psychological distress and obesity in early childhood in a birth cohort. |
Maternal mental disorder (≥ 13) (3 years after childbirth) Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler-6) |
BMIp (≥ 95) 3 years old Multivariable logistic regression (SES, family support, schooling, maternal work, pre-gestational overweight, maternal chronic disease) |
- Severe maternal distress suffering was associated with childhood obesity in crude analyses (OR = 1.62; 95%CI 1.11–2.37; p = 0.01) and adjusted (OR = 1.59; 95%CI 1.08–2.34; p = 0.01). |
Gross, 2013 USA n = 401 Cross-sectional |
To characterize the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and the child’s weight, feeding practices that promote obesity and behaviors related to physical activity in low-income urban families. |
Maternal depression (mild 5–9, moderate to severe 10–29) Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) |
BMIp (≥ 85) ≅ 5 years Multivariable logistic regression (sex, single child; health insurance, age, schooling, race, marital status and maternal employment status) |
- Mothers with moderate to severe depressive symptoms were more likely to have overweight children than mothers without symptoms (adjusted OR = 2.62; 95%CI 1.02–6.70). |
Gemmill, 2013 Australia n = 159 Cohort |
To investigate whether prenatal and/or concomitant maternal depressive and anxious symptoms were predictive of the control of infant feeding practices and to examine whether the control of these practices predicted infant BMI. |
Depression and Anxiety (NR) (pregnancy and 201507 years) Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) |
BMI (NR) 2-7 years-old Multiple hierarchical regression (S1: family income, maternal education and age; S2: number of children and sex; S3: BMI in early childhood, concern with the child’s weight, depression, anxiety and stress) |
- Maternal depression and anxiety were neither predictors of the child’s BMI (β = 0.24 and -0.14, respectively; p > 0.05), nor of the child’s maternal feeding practices (pressure to eat, restriction and monitoring). These were also not predictive of childhood BMI. |
McConley, 2011 USA n = 4,601 Cross-sectional |
To clarify the relationship between family structure, maternal depression and overweight of the child, and if it varies according to race/ethnicity or child’s sex. |
Maternal depression (NR) Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) depression subscale |
BMIp (overweight 85–95, obesity > 95) 5th grade Modeling of structural equations (model: family structure, maternal depression, quality of parenthood, sedentary behavior, healthy food index, leisure activities, child’s BMI) |
- The association between MDS and childhood BMI was mediated by the quality of parenthood (PE = -0.09) and its relationship with leisure activity (PE = -0.06), and children’s sedentary behavior (PE = 0.06) (p < 0.05). |
Santos et al., 2010 Brazil n = 3,748 Cohort |
To investigate the association between postpartum maternal depression and child growth at 4 years of age. |
Maternal depression (≥ 13) (1, 2 and 4 years after childbirth) Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) |
W/Az, (> 2 DP) 4 years old Multiple logistic regression (maternal age at birth, ethnicity, family income, education, marital status, smoking, pre-gestational BMI, use of health services) |
- The effect of MDS in one or two of the three follow-ups (OR = 1.0; 95%CI 0.8–1.3) or all three (OR = 1.6; 95%CI 1.0–2.5) was not associated with childhood obesity. |
Surkan et al., 2008 Brazil n = 589 Cross-sectional |
To evaluate whether maternal depressive symptoms are associated with overweight in children aged between 6 and 24 months |
Maternal depression (≥ 16) (6 to 24 months after childbirth) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) |
W/Lz (overweight ≥ p85, obesity > p95) 6 to 24 months old Multiple logistic regression (sex, birth weight, age, duration of breastfeeding, maternal education; sanitation scale, SES, number of children at home; recent child disease and participation in the Family Health Program) |
- Overweight and childhood obesity were higher in children of mothers with high depressive symptoms than in those of asymptomatic mothers (39.9% versus 28.5%; p = 0.004; and 20.9% versus 10.3%; p = 0.0005, respectively). - Children of mothers with high depressive scores were almost twice as likely to be overweight (OR = 1.7; 95%CI 1.4–2.2) and obese (OR = 2.3; 95%CI 1.6–3.3). |
O’Brien, 2007 USA n = 653 Cohort |
To investigate ecological correlates of the development of overweight in a sample of children followed for 12 years. |
Maternal depression (NR) (6, 15, 24, 36 and 54 months after childbirth and in the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th grade of the children) Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) |
BMIp (≥ 85) 24, 36 and 54 months; 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th grades Multiple logistic regression (sex and ethnicity of the child, maternal education, family income, marital status, time the child lives in households of divorced parents) |
- Maternal depression did not differ between growth groups (never overweight, preschool overweight, school overweight and return to normal weight [OR - 1.0; p > 0.05]) and it was not a predictor of belonging to a specific group. |
Gibson, 2007 Australia n = 329 Cross-sectional |
To investigate the relationship between child’s weight and a wide range of family and maternal factors. |
Depression and Anxiety (NR) Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) |
BMIz (NR) 6–13 years old Multivariable linear regression (maternal BMI, schooling, income, family structure, number of residents at home, sex) |
- Childhood obesity was not associated with depression (β = 0.01 [95%CI - 0.02; 0.04]) and maternal anxiety (β = 0.02 [95%CI -0.06; 0.06]). |