Diaper need and maternal mental health

Diaper need is the inability to afford enough diapers in order to change a child as often as necessary. Previous research demonstrates an association between the frequency of diaper changes and diaper dermatitis and urinary tract infections in infants (Adalat et al., 2007; Sugimura et al., 2008; Li et al., 2012). There are potential associations between diaper need and maternal mental health as evidenced by the Huggies® Every Little Bottom Study (Raver et al., 2010). However, no peer reviewed research exists regarding this association. 695 low-income, racially and ethnically diverse women who were pregnant, the biological or adoptive mother of a child under 18, and living in the City of New Haven were interviewed. Logistic regression was performed with maternal mental health as the dependent variable and diaper need as the independent variable while controlling for age, race, and number of children under 18. Diaper need was found to be associated with maternal mental health (OR=1.807, 95% CI (1.050, 3.110), p=0.03) such that women reporting diaper need were 80% more likely to report significant emotional health needs than women with no reported diaper need. Therefore, diaper need presents a unique contribution to maternal mental health and, unlike other poverty-related risk factors for poor mental health, is a malleable factor that can be intervened upon from a public health perspective. Diaper need provides a clear direction for policy level interventions aimed at improving child health and maternal mental health, and the provision of diapers could be incorporated into existing antipoverty programs.