The trajectory of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms predicts executive function in early childhood

Josephine Power; Stuart Watson; Wai Chen; Andrew Lewis; Marinus van IJzendoorn; Megan Galbally

doi:10.1017/S0033291723002118

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The trajectory of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms predicts executive function in early childhood

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

The trajectory of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms predicts executive function in early childhood

Josephine Power, Stuart Watson, Wai Chen, Andrew Lewis, Marinus van IJzendoorn and Megan Galbally

Psychological medicine, Vol.53(16), pp.7953-7963

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723002118

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Abstract

Background Perinatal maternal depression may affect fetal neurodevelopment directly or indirectly via exposures such as smoking, alcohol, or antidepressant use. The relative contribution of these risk factors on child executive function (EF) has not been explored systematically. Methods A prospective pregnancy cohort of 197 women and their children was studied to determine whether maternal depression diagnosis and the trajectory of maternal depressive symptoms (MDSs) from early pregnancy to 12 months postpartum predicts child EF at age 4 (measured using the preschool age psychiatric assessment, NEPSY-II, and Shape School task) using latent growth curve modeling. Indirect effects of smoking, alcohol, and antidepressant use were also formally tested. Results Increasing maternal perinatal depressive symptoms over time predicted more inattentive symptoms, poorer switching, and motor inhibition, but not cognitive inhibition. When adjusted for multiple comparison, and after accounting for maternal cognition and education, the association with child inattentive symptoms remained significant. However, diagnosed depression did not predict child EF outcomes. Prenatal exposure to smoking, alcohol, and antidepressants also did not mediate pathways from depressive symptoms to EF outcomes. Our findings were limited by sample size and statistical power to detect outcome effects of smaller effect size. Conclusions This study suggests that increasing MDSs over the perinatal period is associated with poorer EF outcomes in children at age 4 – independent of prenatal smoking, drinking, or antidepressant use. Depressive chronicity, severity, and postpartum influences may play crucial roles in determining childhood outcomes of EF.

Details

Title: The trajectory of maternal perinatal depressive symptoms predicts executive function in early childhood
Authors/Creators: Josephine Power - Monash University
Stuart Watson
Wai Chen
Andrew Lewis - Federation University
Marinus van IJzendoorn - Erasmus University Rotterdam
Megan Galbally - Monash University
Publication Details: Psychological medicine, Vol.53(16), pp.7953-7963
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Identifiers: 991005609151507891
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Murdoch Affiliation: Health Futures Institute; Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Citation topics: 1 Clinical & Life Sciences; 1.72 Obstetrics & Gynecology; 1.72.1072 Perinatal Mental Health
Web Of Science research areas: Psychiatry; Psychology; Psychology, Clinical
ESI research areas: Psychiatry/Psychology