Are female children more vulnerable to the long-term effects of maternal depression during pregnancy?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Female fetuses are more vulnerable to high levels of maternal glucocorticoids. We examined whether exposure to prenatal maternal depression, a condition associated with high glucocorticoids, carries greater risk for depression at 12 and 18 years in girls.

Methods

Our sample comprised 7959 mothers and children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children following imputation for missing data. Maternal depression was assessed pre-and post-natally, and offspring depression at ages 12 and 18. We used logistic regression models to examine the relationship between exposure to prenatal and postnatal depression and offspring depression at 18 and 12 and interactions with gender.

Results

There was an interaction between prenatal depression and gender (P=0

SUBMITTER: Quarini C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4650986 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature