Trajectories of maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression. A 13-year longitudinal study of a population-based sample

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a lack of population-based studies of developmental trajectories following mothers throughout the whole child-rearing phase and there are few longitudinal studies focusing on both symptoms of depression and anxiety. The aim of the current study is to identify latent trajectory groups based on counts of symptoms of anxiety and depression among mothers throughout the child-rearing phase and the relations of the latent groups to maternal socio-demographic variables.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data is from a prospective, longitudinal study of nearly 1000 families in Norway followed from when the index children were 18 months until they were 14.5 years old (the TOPP study). The study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify latent groups of mothers with distinct trajectories across time of symptom counts. Latent group differences on socio-demographic variables were tested with one-way ANOVAs, chi-square tests and exact tests.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six trajectories based on maternal scores from six waves of data collection of symptoms of anxiety and depression were identified; a 'No symptoms' group with mothers without symptoms; a 'Low' group with mothers reporting low symptom levels; a 'Moderate-low' group with mothers reporting moderately low symptom levels; a 'Moderate' group with mothers with moderate symptoms; a 'High-chronic' group with mothers with overall high symptom levels; and a 'Low-rising' group with mothers starting with a low symptom level that increased over time. The mothers in the High-chronic symptom group differed from the other mothers on several socio-demographic variables. They were significantly younger than the mothers in the Low group comprising the oldest mothers. The mothers in the High-chronic group had significantly lower education, were less likely to have paid work and were less likely to be living with a partner than the mothers in the other groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The study shows socio-demographic differences between mothers classified into six trajectory groups based on symptoms of anxiety and depression covering 13 years of the child-rearing period. Specific socio-demographic risk factors characterised mothers in the High-chronic symptom group. Identifying subgroups with enduring problems might inform more targeted preventive efforts.</p

Perinatal depression in adolescent mothers: for identifying vulnerabilities

Introduction and objectives Due to the high frequency and co-occurrence of vulnerabilities, mothers under 20 years are at higher risk of perinatal depression than adults mothers. We performed a review of the literature investigating the epidemiology of adolescents mothers’ depression, compared these data to adult mothers and listed associated factors, to develop a more preventive approach and specific follow-up. Methods The review is based on Pubmed and Sciencedirect research combining “adolescent” or “teenage” and “depression” as keywords. Results Seventeen international studies were included, evaluating both prenatal (6 studies) and postnatal (14 studies) depression with three different scales (CES-D, BDI, EPDS). Depression rate in adolescents mothers varies from 26 to 63% in the third trimester of pregnancy and from 26 to 61% in the first 3 months postpartum, with differences depending of studies designs, screening instruments and cut-offs. Depression rate declines with time, but still persists with a prevalence ranging from 21 to 32% at 4 to 5 years after delivery. Depression rate in adolescent mothers are globally twice higher than in adult mothers, both in prenatal and postnatal periods. Characteristics associated with adolescent mothers depression include sociodemographic factors (less education, low income), psychosocial factors (confidence, self-esteem), poor or inadequate social support and negative life events (violence exposure, history of abuse). Conclusion Perinatal depression in adolescent mothers is very high and can contribute negatively to child-mother interaction. It should be a priority to screen depression early during pregnancy and to offer appropriate support services during the first years of motherhood. Moreover, it could be of high interest to assess maternofoetal attachment during pregnancy using validated instruments combined with depression scales.Introduction Comparativement aux mères plus âgées, les mères de moins de 20 ans cumulent certains facteurs de vulnérabilité les exposant à un risque accru de dépression. Méthodes À travers une revue de la littérature, cet article fait le point sur la prévalence de la dépression chez les mères adolescentes et compare ces données à celles des mères plus âgées. Résultats La prévalence de la dépression chez les mères adolescentes varie de 26 à 68 % au troisième trimestre de la grossesse et de 26 à 61 % dans les trois mois du post-partum, selon les études, les instruments d’évaluation et les cut-offs associés. Les taux de dépression à quatre et cinq ans varient de 21 à 32 %. Globalement, les taux de dépression chez les mères adolescentes sont deux fois plus élevés que chez les mères plus âgées. Les caractéristiques associées à la dépression des mères adolescentes incluent des facteurs sociodémographiques et psychosociaux, un soutien social faible ou inadéquat et des événements de vie négatifs. Conclusion La dépression périnatale chez les mères adolescentes est très élevée et peut contribuer négativement aux interactions mère-enfant. Il est impératif de pouvoir détecter les situations de vulnérabilité chez les jeunes mères afin d’organiser une réponse préventive et un suivi spécifiques. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------