Maternal depression not only negatively impacts the health of the mother but also the development of her child. This study examined whether racial differences exist in the relationship between maternal depressive symptomology and certain maternal behaviors that promote child health. The 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS) and the 1991 NMIHS Follow-up were used. Since data were collected at two time points, the relationships of interest were more clearly elucidated by controlling for the change in other confounding demographic and behavioral variables over time. Additionally, since the data set includes a large oversampling of infants born to African American women, racial differences were examined. Crosstabulations of certain demographic variables and depression found greater levels of maternal depression among women of younger age, of lower education, of lower household income, and of higher parity. Racial differences were also found, with the percentage of black women being depressed almost twofold that of white women (38.1% to 21.1% respectively). Moreover, the descriptive statistics show an association between maternal depression and outcome measures. Specifically, a greater percentage of depressed women compared to nondepressed women smoked (23.5% to 15.4%), did not place child in car seat (24.1% to 14.6%), did not administer vitamins to their child (20.9% to 15.4%), and were less likely to drink alcohol (21.6% to 25.1%). Final findings from models, conducted and estimated using SUDAAN software, support these relationships. These findings highlight the need for screening of maternal depression during prenatal care or well child-care visits.
Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, Maternal Well-Being
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.