The Effect of Perinatal Depression on Child Development

AIMS: Perinatal Depression is a global issue, with several studies showing that it has detrimental effects on the development of children. The aim of this paper was to review these effects according to five domains of development: Cognitive, Motor, Behavioural and Social, Emotional, and Physical. These domains were then explored at four sub-categories of age: Neonate (0–30 days), Infant (1 month – 2 years), Young Child (2–6 years), and Child (6–12 years). This paper also aimed to examine how public health programs have been used to mitigate perinatal depression as a means of reducing child developmental issues. METHODS: We conducted a narrative review and searched PubMed and ScienceDirect for peer-reviewed articles, which explored perinatal depression and child development, as well as public health programs that attempted to challenge this problem. Articles were not limited by language or date. RESULTS: A total of 352 titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility, with a resultant 25 articles meeting the criteria to be included in this review. The studies examined were conducted in 14 countries across different continents, with sample sizes ranging from 13 dyads (mother-child pairs) to 6550 children. At the neonatal and infant levels, there were distinct effects in most domains, including low motor scores, increased risk of neuromuscular developmental delays, and issues with emotional regulation. However, at the older stages, there was a decrease in physical deficits, as social and emotional developmental issues became more prominent. These were displayed as anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and increased likelihood of aggression and rule-breaking behaviour. CONCLUSION: Perinatal depression has damaging effects on child development in all five domains and during all four stages of development. Public health programs that use alternative forms of treatment as opposed to interpersonal therapy should be emphasized. There is a need to conduct more research on children in the later stages of development in order to identify the potentially long-lasting effects of perinatal depression. There are also significant challenges in investigating perinatal depression, as the effects of antenatal depression and postnatal depression on child development are often explored separately.