Cited by 143Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumChild Nutrition and Water AccessGlobal Maternal and Child Health

Maternal depression increases infant risk of diarrhoeal illness: -a cohort study

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Rahman, A, Bunn, J, Lovel, H, Creed, F·2007·Archives of Disease in Childhood

Abstract

AIMS: To examine the associations between postnatal depression in mothers and diarrhoeal illness in their infants in the first year of life in a low-income country. METHODS: Using a prospective cohort design, 265 infants (n = 130 of mothers having a depressive episode according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, at 3 months postnatal and n = 135 of psychologically well mothers) living in rural Rawalpindi, Pakistan, were followed up for 1 year. Frequency of diarrhoeal episodes was measured fortnightly by health workers using a standard questionnaire. RESULTS: Infants of depressed mothers had significantly more diarrhoeal episodes per year than those of controls (mean 5.5 v 4.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9 to 2.0). The relative risk of having > or =5 diarrhoeal episodes per year in infants of depressed mothers was 2.3 (95% CI 1.6 to 3.1). The association remained significant after adjustment for other risk factors by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal depression is associated with infant diarrhoeal morbidity in a low-income community setting. It is independent of the effects of known factors such as undernutrition, socioeconomic status and parental education. Preventive child health programmes targeting mothers must consider their mental health.

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  • Infants of depressed mothers had significantly more diarrheal episodes per year than infants of nondepressed mothers.

    “Three studies showed that infants of depressed mothers had significantly more diarrheal episodes per year than those of nondepressed mothers,119,122,138 and one study reported that infants of depressed mothers had more days of illness with diarrhea.138”

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Authors
Rahman, A., Bunn, J., Lovel, H., & Creed, F.
Affiliations
University of Manchester (GB)
Corresponding author
Rahman, A
Venue
Archives of Disease in Childhood
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2007-01-01
Volume
92
Issue
1
Pages
24-28
ISSN
  • 0003-9888 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-2044
OpenAlex
W2111487619
Cited by
142
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 12
FWCI
8.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Archives of Disease in Childhood (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Wellcome Trust (060177)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
Keywords
maternal depression, postpartum depression, infant diarrhea, infant health, maternal mental health, low-income settings, child health programs, Rawalpindi
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Child, Developing Countries, Diarrhea, Infantile, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Pakistan, Pregnancy, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Regression Analysis, Social Class, Cohort Studies, Depression, Postpartum

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