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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on May 12, 2008
Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsn046
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Chronic Maternal Depression and Children's Injury Risk

David C. Schwebel, PhD1 and Carl M. Brezausek, MS2

1Department of Psychology and 2Center for Educational Accountability, University of Alabama at Birmingham

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to David C. Schwebel, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1300 University Blvd, CH 415, Birmingham AL 35294, USA. E-mail: schwebel{at}uab.edu


  Abstract

Objective A substantial number of mothers of young children suffer from depression. One understudied consequence of maternal depression is how it affects toddlers’ injury risk. This study examined links between chronic maternal depression and child injury. Methods A national sample of 1,364 American children was studied. Results Chronic levels of severe maternal depression placed children at increased risk of concurrent injury from birth to age 3. The relation between chronic, severe maternal depression and child injury risk held even after controlling for variance from family SES, child sex, child temperament and externalizing behavior, and parenting. Chronic maternal depression during infancy and toddlerhood did not influence children's subsequent risk for injury, between age 3 and first grade. Less severe symptoms of chronic maternal depression were unrelated to concurrent or future child injury. Conclusions Chronic, severe levels of maternal depression are linked to concurrent child injury risk during infancy and toddlerhood.

Key words: chronic depression; injury; mothers; parents; safety; toddlers.

Received November 19, 2007; revision received April 18, 2008; accepted April 20, 2008


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