BackgroundMaternal postpartum depression is an important risk factor for internalizing and externalizing problems in children. The role of concurrent paternal depression remains unclear, especially by socioeconomic status. This study examined independent and interactive associations of postpartum maternal and paternal depression with children's internalizing/externalizing symptoms throughout childhood and adolescence (ages 3.5–17 years).MethodsWe used data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a representative birth cohort (1997–1998) in Canada. Data included self‐reported maternal and paternal depressive symptoms at 5 months' postpartum using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children were reported by parents, teachers and children/adolescents using the Social Behaviour Questionnaire (ages 3.5–13 years) and the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents (ages 15–17 years). We used three‐level mixed effects modelling to test associations after adjusting for confounding factors.ResultsWith 168 single‐parent families excluded, our sample consisted of 1,700 families with useable data. Of these, 275 (16.2%) families reported maternal depression (clinically elevated symptoms), 135 (7.9%) paternal depression and 39 (2.3%) both. In families with high socioeconomic status, maternal depression was associated with greater child internalizing (β = .34; p < .001) and externalizing symptoms (β = .22; p = .002), regardless of the presence/absence of paternal depression. In families with low socioeconomic status, associations with symptoms were stronger with concurrent paternal depression (internalizing, β = .84, p < .001; externalizing, β = .71, p = .003) than without (internalizing, β = .30, p < .001; externalizing, β = .24, p = .002).ConclusionsMaternal depression increases the risk for children's internalizing/externalizing problems in all socioeconomic contexts. In families with low socioeconomic status, risks were exacerbated by concurrent paternal depression. Postpartum depression, especially in low socioeconomic environments, should be a primary focus to optimize mental health across generations.

中文翻译：

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母亲和父亲的产后抑郁症状与儿童从童年到青春期的内化和外化症状的相互作用：社会经济地位重要吗？纵向队列研究


背景母亲产后抑郁症是儿童内化和外化问题的重要危险因素。父亲并发抑郁症的作用尚不清楚，特别是社会经济地位。本研究考察了产后母亲和父亲抑郁症与儿童整个童年和青春期（3.5-17 岁）内化/外化症状之间的独立和交互关联。方法我们使用了魁北克儿童发展纵向研究的数据，这是一个具有代表性的出生队列（1997- 1998）在加拿大。数据包括产后 5 个月时使用流行病学研究中心抑郁量表自我报告的母亲和父亲抑郁症状。家长、教师和儿童/青少年使用社会行为问卷（3.5-13 岁）和青少年心理健康和社会不适应评估（15-17 岁）报告儿童的内化和外化症状。在调整混杂因素后，我们使用三水平混合效应模型来测试关联性。结果排除了 168 个单亲家庭，我们的样本由 1,700 个具有可用数据的家庭组成。其中，275 个 (16.2%) 家庭报告母亲抑郁（临床症状加重），135 个 (7.9%) 家庭报告父亲抑郁，39 个 (2.3%) 家庭两者都有。在社会经济地位较高的家庭中，无论父亲是否存在抑郁症，母亲抑郁症与孩子更大的内化（β = .34；p < .001）和外化症状（β = .22；p = .002）相关。沮丧。在社会经济地位较低的家庭中，父亲抑郁症与症状的相关性更强（内化，β = .84，p < .001；外化，β = .71，p = .003）比没有（内化，β = .30，p < .001；外化，β = .24，p = .002）。结论：在所有社会经济背景下，母亲抑郁会增加儿童出现内化/外化问题的风险。在社会经济地位较低的家庭中，父亲同时患有抑郁症会加剧风险。产后抑郁症，尤其是在低社会经济环境中，应该成为优化各代人心理健康的主要焦点。