Marilyn N Ahun1, Marie-Claude Geoffroy2, Catherine M Herba3, Mara Brendgen4, Jean R Séguin5, Anne-Laure Sutter-Dallay6, Michel Boivin7, Richard E Tremblay8, Sylvana M Côté9. 1. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: marilyn.ahun@hotmail.com. 2. Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada; McGill Group for Suicide Studies at Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada. 3. CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada. 4. CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada. 5. CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada. 6. INSERUM U1219, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; INSERM U657, Bordeaux, France; Charles Perrens Hospital, University Department of Adult Psychiatry, Bordeaux, France. 7. Department of Psychology, Tomsk State University, Russia; Department of Psychology, Université de Laval, Quebec City, Québec, Canada. 8. CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychology, Tomsk State University, Russia; Departments of Pediatrics and Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada; University College Dublin (School of Public health, Physiotherapy and Sport Sciences), Dublin, Ireland. 9. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada; INSERUM U1219, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To test the associations between the timing and chronicity of maternal depression symptoms (MDS) and children's long-term verbal abilities. STUDY DESIGN: Participants were 1073 mother-child pairs from a population-based birth cohort in Canada. MDS were assessed at ages 5 months, 1.5, 3.5, and 5 years using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Verbal abilities were measured at 5, 6, and 10 years using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the association between timing (early: 5 months and/or 1.5 years vs late 3.5 and/or 5 years) and chronicity (5 months, 1.5, 3.5, and 5 years) of exposure to elevated MDS and children's mean PPVT-R scores. RESULTS: Children exposed to chronic MDS had lower PPVT-R scores than children never exposed (mean difference = 9.04 [95% CI = 2.28-15.80]), exposed early (10.08 [3.33-16.86]) and exposed late (8.69 [1.85-15.53]). There were no significant differences between scores of children in the early compared with the late exposure group. We adjusted for mother-child interactions, family functioning, socioeconomic status, PPVT-R administration language, child's birth order, and maternal IQ, psychopathology, education, native language, age at birth of child, and parenting practices. Maternal IQ, (η2 = 0.028), native language (η2 = 0.009), and MDS (η2 = 0.007) were the main predictors of children's verbal abilities. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to chronic MDS in early childhood is associated with lower levels of verbal abilities in middle childhood. Further research is needed in larger community samples to test the association between MDS and children's long-term language skills.
OBJECTIVE: To test the associations between the timing and chronicity of maternal depression symptoms (MDS) and children's long-term verbal abilities. STUDY DESIGN:Participants were 1073 mother-child pairs from a population-based birth cohort in Canada. MDS were assessed at ages 5 months, 1.5, 3.5, and 5 years using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Verbal abilities were measured at 5, 6, and 10 years using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the association between timing (early: 5 months and/or 1.5 years vs late 3.5 and/or 5 years) and chronicity (5 months, 1.5, 3.5, and 5 years) of exposure to elevated MDS and children's mean PPVT-R scores. RESULTS:Children exposed to chronic MDS had lower PPVT-R scores than children never exposed (mean difference = 9.04 [95% CI = 2.28-15.80]), exposed early (10.08 [3.33-16.86]) and exposed late (8.69 [1.85-15.53]). There were no significant differences between scores of children in the early compared with the late exposure group. We adjusted for mother-child interactions, family functioning, socioeconomic status, PPVT-R administration language, child's birth order, and maternal IQ, psychopathology, education, native language, age at birth of child, and parenting practices. Maternal IQ, (η2 = 0.028), native language (η2 = 0.009), and MDS (η2 = 0.007) were the main predictors of children's verbal abilities. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to chronic MDS in early childhood is associated with lower levels of verbal abilities in middle childhood. Further research is needed in larger community samples to test the association between MDS and children's long-term language skills.
Authors: Marilyn N Ahun; Angele Consoli; Jean-Baptiste Pingault; Bruno Falissard; Marco Battaglia; Michel Boivin; Richard E Tremblay; Sylvana M Côté Journal: Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2017-12-22 Impact factor: 4.785
Authors: Massimiliano Orri; Michel Boivin; Chelsea Chen; Marilyn N Ahun; Marie-Claude Geoffroy; Isabelle Ouellet-Morin; Richard E Tremblay; Sylvana M Côté Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2020-11-13 Impact factor: 4.328
Authors: Chantal Paquin; Sylvana M Côté; Richard E Tremblay; Jean R Séguin; Michel Boivin; Catherine M Herba Journal: PLoS One Date: 2020-01-10 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Laura Bechtiger; Annekatrin Steinhoff; Jessica M Dollar; Simone E Halliday; Susan P Keane; Susan D Calkins; Lilly Shanahan Journal: Child Dev Date: 2021-10-22