title: Maternal perinatal and concurrent depressive symptoms and child behavior problems: a sibling comparison study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have found significant associations between maternal prenatal and postpartum depression and child behavior problems (CBP). The present study investigates whether associations remain in a prospective, longitudinal design adjusted for familial confounding.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample comprised 11,599 families including 17,830 siblings from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study. Mothers reported depressive symptoms at gestational weeks 17 and 30, as well as 6 months, 1.5, 3, and 5 years postpartum. Fathers' depression was measured at gestational week 17. At the last three time-points, child internalizing and externalizing problems were concurrently assessed. We performed multilevel analyses for internalizing and externalizing problems separately, using parental depression as predictors. Analyses were repeated using a sibling comparison design to adjust for familial confounding.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All parental depressive time-points were significantly and positively associated with child internalizing and externalizing problems. After sibling comparison, however, only concurrent maternal depression was significantly associated with internalizing [estimate = 2.82 (1.91-3.73, 95% CI)] and externalizing problems [estimate = 2.40 (1.56-3.23, 95% CI)]. The effect of concurrent maternal depression on internalizing problems increased with child age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings do not support the notion that perinatal maternal depression is particularly detrimental to children's psychological development, as the most robust effects were found for maternal depression occurring during preschool years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Line C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Gjerde
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Espen Moen
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Eilertsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reichborn-Kjennerud
authors.affiliation: MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Tom A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: McAdams
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development, Oslo, Norway.|Centre for Educational Measurement, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Henrik Daae
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Zachrisson
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Special Education, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Imac Maria
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Zambrana
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Child Development, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Espen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Røysamb
authors.affiliation: Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kendler
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.|School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Eivind
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4390-6171
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ystrom
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Behavior problems; Child Behavior Checklist; MoBa; depression; postnatal; prenatal