Maternal depression

There is an overall consensus suggesting that maternal depression is associated with children’s developmental problems including impaired socio-emotional, cognitive and behavioural functioning.

Socio-emotional functioning

Children of depressed mother are more likely to 1) express negative affect, 2) have difficulty controlling their anger, 3) have an insecure attachment, 4) have poorer interpersonal skills, and 5) experience an elevated stress level.

Cognitive functioning

As well, children of depressed mothers usually 1) show less advanced language development, 2) have lower academic skills, 3) have a lower self-esteem, and 4) show other cognitive vulnerabilities to depression or other disorders.

Behavioural functioning

At the behavioural level, children of depressed mothers are characterized as 1) having increased sleep problems, 2) being less cooperative, 3) having difficulty controlling their aggression, and 4) being inactive. They are also at heighten risk of developing internalizing (e.g., depression) and externalizing (e.g., aggressive behaviour) problem behaviours in comparison to children of non depressed mothers.

Children express these developmental problems in varying degrees. Family context and bi-directional influences, such as children’s temperamental characteristics and health status, may lessen or worsen the impact of maternal depression on children’s development. As an example, paternal involvement can reduce the negative impact of maternal depression on children’s internalizing behaviours. In contrast, interparental conflicts predict maladjustment in children with a depressed mother.

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