Table 3. Effect of maternal depressive symptoms on child underweight or stunting in selected studies from developing countries, 1996–2010.
| Study | Measure of depressive symptoms | Mothers with depressive symptoms (%) | Underweight or stunted children (%) | Underweight or stunting prevalence (%) in children of mothers with depressive symptoms | Adjusted OR | RRa | PAR (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underweight | |||||||
| Patel et al. 200331 | EPDS | 23.0 | 16.4 | 30.0 | 2.8 | 2.26 | 22.5 |
| Surkan et al. 200839 | CES-D | 55.0 | 4.0 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 1.75 | 29.4 |
| Stunting | |||||||
| Patel et al. 200331 | EPDS | 23.0 | 12.3 | 25.0 | 3.2 | 2.65 | 27.5 |
| Black et al. 200524 | CES-D | 52.0 | 36.9 | 45.3 | 2.3 | 1.71 | 27.0 |
CES-D, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; EPDS, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; OR, odds ratio; PAR, population attributable risk; RR, relative risk.
a The relative risk for each study was calculated from the adjusted OR and the prevalence of underweight or stunting, as appropriate, in children of depressed mothers.