Formal Child Care Can Buffer Effects of Maternal Depression

Around 1 in 6 women have diagnosed postnatal depression during their child’s first year of life, but less is known about the prevalence of maternal depression after the child turns one. Maternal depression during the toddler years has been linked to increased behavior problems among children up to the age of 5.

In a new study, “Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Child Care During Toddlerhood Relate to Child Behavior At Age 5 Years” in the July issue of Pediatrics (published online June 13), Australian researchers investigated whether formal or informal child care modifies the effects of maternal depression on child emotion and behavior.

In a group of 438 mothers and children followed from pregnancy, women were classified as having no symptoms, intermittent symptoms or recurrent symptoms of depression when their children were toddlers.  Women who had recurrent depression were significantly more likely to have children with behavioral problems at age 5 years. But if the child spent about three hours a week in formal child care at age 2, the effect of maternal depression on child behavior was significantly reduced.  Informal child care did not have the same protective effect.

Study authors conclude that modest amounts of formal child care in toddlerhood for the children of depressed mothers can have enduring benefits for the child.