Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Riley, A. W. Articles by Miranda, J. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Riley, A. W. Articles by Miranda, J. Minority Issues Conduct Disorders Patients' Families Depression Related Article

Mental Health of Children of Low-Income Depressed Mothers: Influences of Parenting, Family Environment, and Raters

Dr. Riley is affiliated with the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health and Dr. Bandeen-Roche and Dr. Colantuoni are with the Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe St., E4539, Baltimore, MD 21205 (e-mail: ariley{at}jhsph.edu). Dr. Coiro is with the Department of Psychology, Loyola College, Baltimore. Dr. Broitman is with the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Hurley is with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Dr. Miranda is with the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association of maternal depression with the emotional and behavioral problems and adaptive skills of four- to ten-year-old children as rated by their mothers, fathers, and teachers. METHODS: Eighty-four mothers had major depressive disorder, and 49 did not. They were predominantly African American or Latino and lived in low-income, urban communities. Mothers, fathers, and teachers reported on children's emotional and behavioral problems and adaptive functioning. Parenting behavior and family stress were examined as potential mediators, and generalized estimating equations were used to test mediation and to account for discrepancies in reports by different raters. RESULTS: According to the combined reports, children of mothers with depression had significantly poorer adaptive skills than children of sociodemographically similar mothers without depression; according to the reports of mothers and fathers, these children also had more emotional and behavioral problems. The quality of mothers' parenting mediated these associations, but measured family stressors did not. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the scientific literature by demonstrating the effects of raters and testing mediators of maternal depression in low-income African-American and Latino families. It demonstrated that mothers, fathers, and teachers observed worse functioning among children of mothers with depression than without depression, although reporters' perspectives varied somewhat. The impact of maternal depression over and above that of poverty suggests the importance of developing and funding services to address the needs of affected families.

Related Article:

March 2009: This Month's Highlights
Psychiatr Serv 2009 60: 285. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Emerging Perspectives: Effectively Addressing Depression in Low-Income Mothers Journal Watch Psychiatry, March 16, 2009; 2009(316): 2 - 2. [Full Text]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2009 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us