title: Maternal psychological distress in primary care and association with child behavioural outcomes at age three.
abstract: Observational studies indicate children whose mothers have poor mental health are at increased risk of socio-emotional behavioural difficulties, but it is unknown whether these outcomes vary by the mothers' mental health recognition and treatment status. To examine this question, we analysed linked longitudinal primary care and research data from 1078 women enrolled in the Born in Bradford cohort. A latent class analysis of treatment status and self-reported distress broadly categorised women as (a) not having a common mental disorder (CMD) that persisted through pregnancy and the first 2 years after delivery (N = 756, 70.1 %), (b) treated for CMD (N = 67, 6.2 %), or (c) untreated (N = 255, 23.7 %). Compared to children of mothers without CMD, 3-year-old children with mothers classified as having untreated CMD had higher standardised factor scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (d = 0.32), as did children with mothers classified as having treated CMD (d = 0.27). Results were only slightly attenuated in adjusted analyses. Children of mothers with CMD may be at risk for socio-emotional and behavioural difficulties. The development of effective treatments for CMD needs to be balanced by greater attempts to identify and treat women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK. stephanie.prady@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Stephanie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Prady
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Pickett
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK.|Social Dimensions of Health Institute, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Croudace
authors.affiliation: Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK.
authors.forename: Emily S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Petherick
authors.affiliation: Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK.
authors.forename: Rosie R C
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: McEachan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.|Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gilbody
authors.affiliation: Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Duckworth Lane, Bradford, BD9 6RJ, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000639:trends; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Health inequality; Latent class methods; Maternal mental health; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire