Postnatal depression and SIDS: a prospective study.
This study was carried out in response to reports from nurses to a post-neonatal mortality review committee that a number of mothers of infants dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) appeared to be depressed before the child's death. The New Zealand Cot Death Study was a 3 year multicentre case-control study for SIDS. There were 485 SIDS cases in the post-neonatal age group in the study regions, and these were compared with 1800 control infants. Infants of mothers with either a self-reported use of medication for psychiatric disorders, a history of hospitalization for psychiatric illness or a family history of postnatal depression had a significantly increased risk of SIDS compared with infants of mothers who were either not using medication (odds ratio (OR) = 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03, 2.04) or were without a history of hospitalization for psychiatric illness (OR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.03, 3.11) or a family history of postnatal depression (OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.06, 2.43). All mothers of infants born in the study areas over a 1 year period were eligible to complete a questionnaire measuring maternal depression when the infant was 4 weeks of age. Thirty-three infants subsequently died from SIDS, and they were compared with 174 controls. Fifteen (45.5%) of the mothers of cases were depressed, compared with 28 (16.1%) of the mothers of controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Mitchell
E A
EA
Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Thompson
J M
JM
Stewart
A W
AW
Webster
M L
ML
Taylor
B J
BJ
Hassall
I B
IB
Ford
R P
RP
Allen
E M
EM
Scragg
R
R
Becroft
D M
DM
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009520:New Zealand; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology*