title: Prevalence of common mental disorders in mothers in the semiarid region of Alagoas and its relationship with nutritional status.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Compromised maternal mental health (MMH) is considered to be a risk factor for child malnutrition in low income areas. Psychosocial variables associated with MMH are potentially different between urban and rural environments. The aim here was to investigate whether associations existed between MMH and selected sociodemographic risk factors and whether specific to urban or rural settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study on a representative population sample of mothers from the semiarid region of Alagoas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multistage sampling was used. The subjects were mothers of children aged up to 60 months. MMH was evaluated through the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. Mothers' nutritional status was assessed using the body mass index and waist circumference. Univariate analysis used odds ratios (OR) and chi-square. Logistic regression was performed separately for urban and rural subsamples using MMH as the dependent variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample comprised 288 mothers. The prevalences of common mental disorders (CMD) in rural and urban areas were 56.2% and 43.8%, respectively (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.64-1.63). In univariate analysis and logistic regression, the variable of education remained associated with MMH (OR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.03-4.6) in urban areas. In rural areas, the variable of lack of partner remained associated (OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.01-6.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of CMD is high among mothers of children aged up to two years in the semiarid region of Alagoas. This seems to be associated with lower educational level in urban settings and lack of partner in rural settings.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Toledo de
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Paffer
authors.forename: Haroldo da Silva
authors.initials: Hda S
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Cyro Rego
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cabral Júnior
authors.forename: Claudio Torres de
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Miranda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003889:Desert Climate; D004522:Educational Status; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult