Children born to mothers with symptoms of depression were more likely to pursue unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, suggests a study published in the journal Pediatrics.¹

Researchers analysed data of 213 children aged 2 to 17 years (average age 16.6 years) obtained from the RIGHT Track health project in North Carolina to investigate if depressive symptoms in the mothers affected the behavior of their children at 16-17 years of age. For this, the researchers used a cumulative adolescent unhealthy behavior index for which the children self-reported their poor sleep, poor diet, physical inactivity, sedentary behavior and smoking. Forty-two percent of the participants were boys.

Results of this 15-year study showed that two-thirds (66%) of the adolescents had reported at least one unhealthy behavior, while 20% of them had ≥3 unhealthy behaviors. A quarter of them described their sleep as poor and they also ate an unhealthy diet. Around 15% reported smoking. Children who were exposed to depressive symptoms in their mothers at 7-10 years of age and during adolescence were found to have more unhealthy behaviors when they were 16-17 years-old. Boys tended to eat a poor diet, while girls were more sedentary, though the overall number of unhealthy behaviors were comparable between them.

By demonstrating the association between unhealthy behaviors in adolescents and exposure to symptoms of depression in the mothers during early childhood, this study illustrates the significance of the mental health of mothers in inculcating healthy behaviors in their children. “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease,” said Sir William Osler. Eliciting the social history is essential to understand and treat the patient in his/her context.

Reference

1. Laura Bechtiger, et al. Maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents unhealthy behavior: a 15-year longitudinal study. Pediatrics. 2022 Sep 21;e2022056562. doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-056562.