Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb 15:323:368-377.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.10.051. Epub 2022 Nov 24.

Depressive symptoms among mothers with hospitalized children in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

Ahmed Elshafei  1 , Julie Jemutai  2 , Kirkby D Tickell  3 , Priya Sukhtankar  4 , Amritha Bhat  5 , Sassy Molyneux  6 , James A Berkley  7 , Judd L Walson  3 , Pamela Y Collins  8 ; Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network Investigators
Affiliations

Depressive symptoms among mothers with hospitalized children in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa

Ahmed Elshafei et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Poor maternal mental health during childhood hospitalization is associated with post-discharge child mortality. We aimed to establish if maternal PHQ-9 scores during hospitalization are associated with acute stressors or longer trends in mental health status.

Method: Mothers of children admitted to nine hospitals in six countries completed a PHQ-9 assessment during hospitalization and 45-days post-discharge. Community participants were recruited from homes near the hospitalized children. The prevalence and correlates of high PHQ-9 scores among hospitalized and community mothers were compared.

Outcomes: Among 2762 mothers of hospitalized children, 514 (19 %) had PHQ-9 scores ≥10, significantly more than the 116 (10 %, p < 0·001) of 1159 community participants. Recruitment site and food insecurity were PHQ-9 correlates in both groups. Correlates of higher mean PHQ-9 scores among the hospitalized cohort included maternal illness (mean difference [MD]: 1·27, 95%CI: 0·77, 1·77), pregnancy (MD: 0·77, 95%CI: 0·27, 1·28), child HIV-infection (MD: 2·51. 95%CI: 1·55, 3·52), and lower child weight-for-height (MD: 0·21, 95%CI: 0·32, 0·11). Marriage (MD -0·92, 95%CI: -1·36, -0·48) and a positive malaria test (MD: -0·63, 95%CI: -1·15, -0·10) were associated with lower PHQ-9 scores among mothers of hospitalized children. Among mothers with PHQ-9 ≥10 during admission, 410 had repeat assessments 45-days after their child's discharge, and 108 (26 %) continued to meet the high PHQ-9 criterion.

Interpretation: Among mothers of hospitalized children, there are subgroups with transient and persistent depressive symptoms. Interventions tailored to address acute stressors may improve post-discharge pediatric and maternal health outcomes.

Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation OPP1131320.

Keywords: Maternal mental health; Pediatric hospitalizations.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020;396(10258):1204–1222. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30925-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Albert P.R. Why is depression more prevalent in women? J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2015;40:219–221. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rahman A., Surkan P.J., Cayetano C.E., Rwagatare P., Dickson K.E. Grand challenges: integrating maternal mental health into maternal and child health programmes. PLoS Med. 2013;10 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Haithar S., Kuria M.W., Sheikh A., Kumar M., Vander Stoep A. Maternal depression and child severe acute malnutrition: a case-control study from Kenya. BMC Pediatr. 2018;18:289. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Van Der Waerden J., Galéra C., Sutter-Dallay A.L., et al. Dépression maternelle et développement de l’enfant : résultats de la cohorte EDEN. Eur. Psychiatry. 2015;30 S35-S35.

Publication types