title: Interpreting the effects of mothers' postnatal depression on children's intelligence: a critique and re-analysis.
abstract: It is possible that reported links between postnatal depression and children's cognitive deficits can be completely explained by vulnerability factors in the child such as male gender and pre- and perinatal insults as well as known risk factors in the social environment. This hypothesis was evaluated, using prospective longitudinal data that had previously been obtained from a community sample of primiparous North London women, followed from early pregnancy until the children were 4 years old. Re-analysis of those data provided support for the original finding of an association between postnatal depression and impaired cognitive abilities in the children. There were, however, some important modifications: Low birth-weight infants and the infants of less educated mothers were most at risk. Perceptual and performance abilities were most affected.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000523:psychology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007360:Intelligence; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment