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Cited by 33Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and PostpartumChild Nutrition and Water AccessBirth, Development, and Health

Maternal Depressive Symptoms Not Associated with Reduced Height in Young Children in a US Prospective Cohort Study

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Ertel, Karen A., Koenen, Karestan C., Rich-Edwards, Janet W., Gillman, Matthew W.·2010·PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0013656PMC PMC2965089
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Shorter stature is associated with greater all cause and heart disease mortality, but taller stature with increased risk of cancer mortality. Though childhood environment is important in determining height, limited data address how maternal depression affects linear growth in children. We examined the relationships between antenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms and child height and linear growth from birth to age 3 years in a U.S. sample. METHODS: Subjects were 872 mother-child pairs in Project Viva, a prospective pre-birth cohort study. The study population is relatively advantaged with high levels of income and education and low risk of food insecurity. We assessed maternal depression at mid-pregnancy (mean 28 weeks' gestation) and 6 months postpartum with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (score > = 13 on 0-30 scale indicating probable depression). Child outcomes at age 3 were height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and leg length. HAZ was also available at birth and ages 6 months, 1, 2, and 3 years. FINDINGS: Seventy (8.0%) women experienced antenatal depression and 64 (7.3%) experienced postpartum depression. The mean (SD) height for children age 3 was 97.2 cm (4.2), with leg length of 41.6 cm (2.6). In multivariable linear regression models, exposure to postpartum depression was associated with greater HAZ (0.37 [95% confidence interval: 0.16, 0.58]) and longer leg length (0.88 cm [0.35, 1.41]). The relationship between postpartum depression and greater HAZ was evident starting at 6 months and continued to age 3. We found minimal relationships between antenatal depression and child height outcomes. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that maternal depression is associated with reduced height in children in this relatively advantaged sample in a high-income country.

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  • Postpartum depression was associated with higher subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness scores, indicating overall adiposity.

    “In contrast, one study from the United States109 showed that PPD was associated with higher subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness scores, which indicated overall adiposity.”

    From Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes (2019) · cites this paper as [109]

    The Discussion reports that, in a related analysis of Project Viva participants, postpartum depression was associated with greater overall adiposity in children at age 3. This paper does not report higher subscapular or triceps skinfold scores; its Methods describe height and leg-length measurements instead. The specific skinfold finding is therefore not supported by this source. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • Exposure to postpartum depression was associated with a longer leg length.

    “Another study109 conducted in a high-income country (the United States) showed the opposite effect: exposure to PPD was associated with a greater height-for-age z-score and a longer leg length.”

    From Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes (2019) · cites this paper as [109]

  • Exposure to postpartum depression was associated with a greater height-for-age z-score.

    “Another study109 conducted in a high-income country (the United States) showed the opposite effect: exposure to PPD was associated with a greater height-for-age z-score and a longer leg length.”

    From Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes (2019) · cites this paper as [109]

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Authors
Ertel, K. A., Koenen, K. C., Rich-Edwards, J. W., & Gillman, M. W.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Ertel, Karen A.
ORCID
Venue
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2010-10-27
Volume
5
Issue
10
Pages
e13656
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0013656
PMC
PMC2965089
OpenAlex
W2032126225
Cited by
33
References
80
Citations by year
2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 6
FWCI
3.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst (University of Massachusetts Amherst) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (HD 34568)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K24HL068041, HL 64925, HL-68041, R01HL064925)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R37HD034568, HD34568, R01HD034568)
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 › Birth, Development, and Health
Keywords
maternal depression, antenatal depression, postpartum depression, child height, linear growth, height-for-age z-score, leg length, early childhood growth, Project Viva cohort, mother-child pairs
MeSH terms
Body Height, Child, Preschool, Depression, Female, Humans, Infant, Pregnancy, Prospective Studies, United States

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