Depressive Symptoms in Low-Income Mothers and Emotional and Social Functioning in Their Preschool Children

Objective.— To determine which factors modify the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and emotional and social functioning in low-income preschool children. Methods.— A cross-sectional, self-administered survey of 295 low-income (≤185% poverty level) mothers of 3- and 4-year-old children. Both child emotional functioning and social functioning were measured with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Low emotional functioning and social functioning were defined as scores in the lowest tertile for each measure. Maternal depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results.— Of the children, 92% were white and 55% were boys. Of the mothers, 31% had clinically significant depressive symptoms (CES-D scores ≥16) and 30% were smokers. Among girls, the percentage with low emotional functioning was significantly higher in those whose mothers had clinically significant depressive symptoms than in those whose mothers did not (62% vs 27%, P < .001), but the same was not true among boys (36% vs 30%, P = NS). When mothers were smokers, the percentage of children with low social functioning was higher if mothers had clinically significant depressive symptoms (54% vs 29%, P = .02); however, this was not the case when mothers were nonsmokers (25% vs 28%, P = .69). Maternal education, marital status, and age did not modify the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and child emotional or social functioning. Conclusions.— Among low-income preschool children, both the sex of the child and the smoking status of the mother appear to influence the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and children's emotional and social functioning.