Mom's depression tied to child abuse in some families

A doll is seen in the backyard of the mobile home where three children and their mother were found hanged in Hudson Oaks, Texas May 29, 2007.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In families with a history of child abuse, a mother's depression may increase the risk that she will act aggressively toward her child, a new study suggests.

The study, which followed 5,500 U.S. families investigated by child- welfare agencies, found that when a mother developed depression, the odds of her child suffering "psychologically aggressive acts" -- including threats or name-calling -- increased.

The findings do not prove that mothers' depression, per se, led to the children's abuse, the researchers report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

However, they write, the study does support general recommendations that adults be screened by their doctors for both depression and spousal or partner abuse -- which is also linked to increased odds of child abuse.

For the study, Dr. Kerith J. Conron and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health used data from a national survey of 5,500 families who had been involved in child abuse investigations.

Mothers completed a standard measure of depression symptoms at the outset, and again 18 months and three years later. They were also asked about any instances in which their child was abused over the past year -- including physical abuse, neglect and psychological aggression.

The researchers found that when mothers developed depression over the course of the study, incidents of threats, name-calling and other forms of psychological aggression against their children also increased -- by an average of two extra incidents per year.

Roughly one-quarter of the mothers were deemed to have major depression at each of the three surveys. One-third of the women overall either a remission or onset of depression during the study period.

In other findings, mothers who reported an increase in abuse from a partner were also more likely to report an increase in physical abuse and neglect of their children. In contrast, mothers who moved in with a non-abusive partner during the study generally reported a decrease in psychologically aggressive behavior toward their children.

It's possible, according to Conron's team, that having a supportive partner lessened some mothers' strain and, in turn, lowered the likelihood of child abuse.

It is not clear from the study data whether mothers' depression typically preceded the increases in aggressive behavior toward their children. However, the researchers write, the findings still support recommendations from several medical groups that doctors routinely screen adults for both depression and intimate-partner violence.

Right now, the researchers note, there are no screening tests for parents that reliably catch cases of child abuse.

SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, October 2009.