A mother and child's depression risk is linked, but in which direction?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-08-26 01:00

International

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A child developing depression may mean their mother is at a higher risk of also developing depression rather than the other way round, according to international researchers investigating a previously established link between maternal and child mental health. The team used data from 1800 pairs of mothers and pre-pubescent children from 2020-2024, looking at increases in depression symptoms over time. They say they found a link between child depression and subsequent maternal depression, but not the other way around. The researchers say these findings should be tested over a time period that does not include the early COVID-19 pandemic to be more certain of the evidence, but the possibility that a child's depression is a factor in a mother's depression should be considered in family-centred approaches to mental health care.

Media release

From: JAMA

About The Study: Contrary to prevailing assumptions, the findings of this study suggest that children’s depression over time may have contributed to worsening maternal depression, rather than the other way around. While these results should be replicated in non-pandemic contexts to confirm their generalizability, they highlight the need for family-centered approaches to mental health care.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Pediatrics

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Calgary, Canada

Funder: The All Our Families study was funded by an Alberta Innovates Health Solutions Interdisciplinary Team (200700595) and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. Funding for the data collection for the COVID-19 pandemic waves was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Children and Screens Institute of Digital Media and Child Development COVID-19 grant and an Alberta Innovates grant.

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