Start Date
15-10-2009 4:00 PM
End Date
15-10-2009 5:15 PM
Description
Background: Income, education, being an immigrant and residential neighbourhood characteristics are linked to depressive symptoms. To our knowledge, no longitudinal study has examined the joint influence of demographic and neighbourhood characteristics on maternal depressive symptoms.
Objective: To examine the influence of demographic and neighbourhood characteristics on trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms from child age 1.5 to 7 years, in Québec, Canada. METHODS: 1611 mothers from the Québec Longitudinal Study on Child Development, seen regularly since child birth (1998). Maternal depressive symptoms (CES-D), income, and residential neighbourhood characteristics (neighbourhood poverty, unemployment and quality of nearest park) were measured for mothers at child ages 1.5, 3.5, 5 and 7 years. Analyses of the influence of income and neighbourhood characteristics on depression scores (overall trajectory and at each time point) were performed with PROCTRAJ in SAS.
Results: Over the 6-year period, 42.6% of mothers showed likelihood of a trajectory of low depressive symptoms, while 46.5% and 10.9% showed likelihood of trajectories of minor and elevated depressive symptoms respectively. Prior elevated maternal depressive symptoms at child age 5 months and being an immigrant mother were associated with a greater likelihood of minor (OR= 6.40 CI 3.40-12.37, p=0.001; OR=2.44 CI=1.09-5.48, p=0.01respectively) or elevated (OR=8.18, CI=1.88-22.88, p=0.005; OR=5.66 CI=1.41-22.65, p=0.01 respectively) depressive symptoms. High perception of neighbourhood safety (top quartile) was associated with lesser likelihood of a trajectory of elevated depressive symptoms (OR=0.12, CI=0.03-0.49, p=0.001). Living near a park with greater green space was associated with lesser likelihood of a trajectory of minor depressive symptoms (OR=0.38 CI=0.18-0.80, p=0.02).
Implications: These results suggest that demographic and neighbourhood factors are associated with maternal depressive symptoms. Further research will evaluate the link between trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms and cortisol profiles as such relations vary according to individual and neighbourhood factors.
During her doctoral studies, Mai Thanh Tu examined the influences of breastfeeding and low income on biological stress pathways in mothers of healthy infants. After studying stress regulation in preterm infants, Mai is now working on maternal mental health and social factors such as characteristics of the residential neighbourhood, living in poverty conditions and caring for a sick child. Mai is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Universite de Montreal, and is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the NARSAD foundation.
Included in
Poverty, Neighbourhood Characteristics and Trajectories of Maternal Depression
Background: Income, education, being an immigrant and residential neighbourhood characteristics are linked to depressive symptoms. To our knowledge, no longitudinal study has examined the joint influence of demographic and neighbourhood characteristics on maternal depressive symptoms.
Objective: To examine the influence of demographic and neighbourhood characteristics on trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms from child age 1.5 to 7 years, in Québec, Canada. METHODS: 1611 mothers from the Québec Longitudinal Study on Child Development, seen regularly since child birth (1998). Maternal depressive symptoms (CES-D), income, and residential neighbourhood characteristics (neighbourhood poverty, unemployment and quality of nearest park) were measured for mothers at child ages 1.5, 3.5, 5 and 7 years. Analyses of the influence of income and neighbourhood characteristics on depression scores (overall trajectory and at each time point) were performed with PROCTRAJ in SAS.
Results: Over the 6-year period, 42.6% of mothers showed likelihood of a trajectory of low depressive symptoms, while 46.5% and 10.9% showed likelihood of trajectories of minor and elevated depressive symptoms respectively. Prior elevated maternal depressive symptoms at child age 5 months and being an immigrant mother were associated with a greater likelihood of minor (OR= 6.40 CI 3.40-12.37, p=0.001; OR=2.44 CI=1.09-5.48, p=0.01respectively) or elevated (OR=8.18, CI=1.88-22.88, p=0.005; OR=5.66 CI=1.41-22.65, p=0.01 respectively) depressive symptoms. High perception of neighbourhood safety (top quartile) was associated with lesser likelihood of a trajectory of elevated depressive symptoms (OR=0.12, CI=0.03-0.49, p=0.001). Living near a park with greater green space was associated with lesser likelihood of a trajectory of minor depressive symptoms (OR=0.38 CI=0.18-0.80, p=0.02).
Implications: These results suggest that demographic and neighbourhood factors are associated with maternal depressive symptoms. Further research will evaluate the link between trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms and cortisol profiles as such relations vary according to individual and neighbourhood factors.
During her doctoral studies, Mai Thanh Tu examined the influences of breastfeeding and low income on biological stress pathways in mothers of healthy infants. After studying stress regulation in preterm infants, Mai is now working on maternal mental health and social factors such as characteristics of the residential neighbourhood, living in poverty conditions and caring for a sick child. Mai is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Universite de Montreal, and is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the NARSAD foundation.