Perinatal depression is linked to increased health risks for newborns

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-09-03 01:00

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Babies born to mothers who experience perinatal depression are more likely to die in their first year of life, according to international researchers who say this link is present for all the leading causes of infant death, including prematurity complications and birth defects. The researchers studied just over 400,000 babies in the US, 906 of whom died in their first year of life. For mothers with perinatal depression, 7.2 in every 1,000 babies died, compared to two deaths per 1,000 for mothers without depressive symptoms. The researchers say it's possible there's a biological link between a mother's depression and poorer infant health, and perinatal depression could be partially driven by the baby's health problems. The research supports the necessity of screening mothers for depression in the months after birth, they conclude.

News release

From: JAMA

Perinatal Depression and Infant Mortality

In this cohort study, infants born to mothers with depressive symptoms had a higher risk of death before 1 year of age compared with infants whose mothers had no depressive symptoms. Expanding maternal depression screening and interventions for individuals with depressive symptoms is critical for improving maternal and infant health.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Rutgers School of Public Health, USA

Funder: This research was funded by the New Jersey Integrated Population Health Data Project at the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy.

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