Association between maternal mental health, the COVID-19 pandemic, and children's developmental outcomes in Scotland.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The number of reported maternal mental health (MH) difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher than during the pre-pandemic period. Findings on the link between the COVID-19 pandemic and children's developmental outcomes suggest lower scores on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) among children born during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic cohorts. The present study explored the interaction between maternal MH and being born during the COVID-19 pandemic on children's developmental outcomes. Furthermore, it examined the combined effect of maternal MH and birth during the pandemic on children's developmental outcomes.

Study design

This study used a linked administrative dataset from Scotland. Children born between 1st March 2020 and 30th

SUBMITTER: Okelo K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11948697 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature