Elisabete Pereira Silva1, Alan Emond2, Ana Bernarda Ludermir3. 1. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Hospital das Clínicas, 2o andar - Av. Prof. Moraes Rêgo, s/n. Cidade Universitária, 50.670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: elisabete.pereira@ufpe.br. 2. Centre for Academic Child Health, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, 1-5 Whiteladies Road Clifton, Bristol BS8 1NU, United Kingdom. 3. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. da Engenharia, s/n, Bloco "D" - 1° Andar - Cidade Universitária, 50.740-600, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global problem with high prevalence rates, and is linked to maternal mental disorders (MMD). Children's exposure to IPV (CEIPV) can have impacts on their physical and mental health, including depression. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the associations between exposure to both CEIPV and MMD and depression in schoolchildren. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 630 mother-child pairs were evaluated in a poor urban district in Recife, Northeast Brazil. METHODS: A cohort study investigated the effects of IPV during pregnancy, postpartum and six to nine years after delivery. Women were asked about their experience of IPV, their own mental health, and the exposure of their child to violence. The child's mood was reported by the mother, using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Ten types of CEIPV, and the age of onset of exposure, were compared with the child's subsequent risk of depression. RESULTS: IPV was associated with MMD in 31.9% of the women at some period of time. Depressive symptoms were reported in 15.7% of school-age children. All types of CEIPV were associated with depression at school age. Multivariable analyses of exposure to IPV and MMD at different ages showed that exposure to both IPV and MMD in the first year of life had the strongest association with childhood depression (OR = 9.1; 95% CI: 2.4-33.9). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of CEIPV and MMD, and the high prevalence of depression at school age, shows the importance of assessing MMD and identifying exposure to IPV in pregnancy and the early years.
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global problem with high prevalence rates, and is linked to maternal mental disorders (MMD). Children's exposure to IPV (CEIPV) can have impacts on their physical and mental health, including depression. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the associations between exposure to both CEIPV and MMD and depression in schoolchildren. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 630 mother-child pairs were evaluated in a poor urban district in Recife, Northeast Brazil. METHODS: A cohort study investigated the effects of IPV during pregnancy, postpartum and six to nine years after delivery. Women were asked about their experience of IPV, their own mental health, and the exposure of their child to violence. The child's mood was reported by the mother, using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Ten types of CEIPV, and the age of onset of exposure, were compared with the child's subsequent risk of depression. RESULTS: IPV was associated with MMD in 31.9% of the women at some period of time. Depressive symptoms were reported in 15.7% of school-age children. All types of CEIPV were associated with depression at school age. Multivariable analyses of exposure to IPV and MMD at different ages showed that exposure to both IPV and MMD in the first year of life had the strongest association with childhood depression (OR = 9.1; 95% CI: 2.4-33.9). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of CEIPV and MMD, and the high prevalence of depression at school age, shows the importance of assessing MMD and identifying exposure to IPV in pregnancy and the early years.
Authors: Marta Kożybska; Marta Giezek; Paulina Zabielska; Barbara Masna; Jacek Ciechowicz; Monika Paszkiewicz; Artur Kotwas; Beata Karakiewicz Journal: J Inj Violence Res Date: 2022-01-10