Post-partum depression and infant growth in a South African peri-urban settlement.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between maternal post-natal depression and infant growth.


BACKGROUND
Infant growth has recently been shown, in two studies from South Asia, to be adversely affected by maternal depression in the early post-partum period. It is uncertain whether a similar association obtains in developing countries outside Asia.


METHODS
A sample of 147 mother-infant dyads was recruited from a peri-urban settlement outside Cape Town and seen at 2 and 18 months post partum.


RESULTS
No clear effect of post-partum depression on infant growth was found. Although maternal depression at 2 months was found to be associated with lower infant weight at 18 months, when birthweight was considered this effect disappeared.


CONCLUSIONS
Possible explanations for the non-replication of the South Asian findings are considered.
Tomlinson
M
M
Child Guidance Clinic, University of Cape Town, South Africa. mtomlins@protem.uct.ac.za
Cooper
P J
PJ
Stein
A
A
Swartz
L
L
Molteno
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002657:Child Development; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D019052:Depression, Postpartum; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D013019:South Africa; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data