Correlates of maternal depressive symptoms in a national Head Start program sample.
OBJECTIVE
To examine correlates of maternal depressive symptoms in a diverse, national sample of mothers whose kindergarten-aged children attended a Head Start program.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study of 5820 mothers was conducted during their child's kindergarten year.


METHODS
Rates of maternal depressive symptoms were assessed by a validated 3-item depression screen.


RESULTS
The ethnic makeup of the group of mothers was non-Hispanic white, 46%; African American, 30%; Hispanic, 13%; American Indian, 6%; Asian American, 1%; and other, 4%. The mean (SD) age of the mothers was 30.1 (5.55) years, 57% were unemployed, and 68% had at least a high school diploma or had earned a high school equivalency diploma. More than 40% of the mothers screened positive for depressive symptoms. The strongest associations after controlling for several biological and demographic variables were maternal chronic health problem (adjusted odds ratio, 2.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.98-3.87), homelessness (adjusted odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.45-2.77), and lowest income level (adjusted odds ratio, 1.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-1.88).


CONCLUSIONS
Depressive symptoms were common among mothers of young children in this national sample. Interventions must be targeted at alleviating maternal depressive symptoms by decreasing poverty, providing support programs for single parents, and establishing accessible and affordable medical care for all parents and their children. Primary care physicians can play a key role in early identification and intervention.
Lanzi
R G
RG
Civitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-0021, USA. rlanzi@uab.edu
Pascoe
J M
JM
Keltner
B
B
Ramey
S L
SL
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology