e-space
Manchester Metropolitan University's Research Repository

    Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms and offspring emotional and behavioral development at age 7 years in a U.K. birth cohort: The role of paternal involvement

    Culpin, I ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5086-987X, Hammerton, G, Stein, A, Bornstein, MH, Tiemeier, H, Cadman, T, Fredriksen, E, Evans, J, Miller, T, Dermott, E, Heron, J, Sallis, HM and Pearson, Rebecca ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8527-3400 (2023) Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms and offspring emotional and behavioral development at age 7 years in a U.K. birth cohort: The role of paternal involvement. Developmental Psychology, 59 (4). pp. 770-785. ISSN 0012-1649

    [img]
    Preview
    Accepted Version
    Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

    Download (1MB) | Preview

    Abstract

    There is considerable variability in developmental outcomes of children whose mothers experience depression. Few longitudinal studies have examined contributions of paternal involvement in the association between maternal postnatal depression (PND) and offspring development. We examined pathways from maternal PND at 8 weeks (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; total score) to offspring emotional and behavioral development at 7 years (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; total score) through behavioral, affective, and cognitive dimensions of paternal involvement in a U.K.-based birth cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children; n = 3,434). Analyses were adjusted for baseline confounders and paternal PND (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; total score) as an intermediate confounder. Maternal PND was strongly associated with offspring development, but this association was not mediated by the combination of all indirect pathways through various dimensions of paternal involvement. Only father–child conflict emerged as a risk factor for adverse offspring development and as a mediator in the association between maternal PND and offspring development (albeit the effect size was small). If found causal, interventions that reduce father–child conflict may reduce the risk of adverse development in offspring of mothers with PND.

    Impact and Reach

    Statistics

    Activity Overview
    6 month trend
    119Downloads
    6 month trend
    56Hits

    Additional statistics for this dataset are available via IRStats2.

    Altmetric

    Repository staff only

    Edit record Edit record