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Spending time in child care may help protect children of depressed moms from developing behavioral and psychological problems, according to new research in the journal Pediatrics.
Experts know that when mothers are depressed it can be difficult or challenging for them to parent and that their children often show signs of distress. Some young people act out, perhaps showing anger and aggression, others internalize their feeling taking on their mother's sadness or depression.
This new study looked at more than 400 mothers and their children in Australia, and found that at age 2, as little as half a day of child care a week appears to protect infants and toddlers from exhibiting behavioral problems at age 5.
"This is the first study that really looks at child care as a protective factor not only at the time that it [maternal depression] is going on, but also for the future," explains pediatrician Marian Earls with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
When mothers had ongoing or recurring symptoms of depression, their children were twice as likely to act out and four times as likely to be sad or depressed themselves.
"There are several ways in which child care may buffer some of the effects of maternal depression on child behavior. First, some respite from the maternal role for mothers with depression may help the mothers fulfill their parenting role when they are with their toddler," explains study author Lynne Giles, Ph.D. at the School of Population Health and Clinical Practice at the University of Adelaide in South Australia.
