Exposure to maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy and the postnatal period increases the risk of behavioral, emotional and cognitive difficulties in childhood, and also increases risk of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, in adolescence. However, due to the complex nature of genetic and environmental contributions to the onset of mental health disorders, the process by which perinatal depression increases risk for offspring psychopathology remains unclear.

Recent research from our group and others suggests that the interplay between prenatal and postnatal depression may be important when considering childhood outcomes, and also that there may be specific gender differences in the development of childhood and adolescent mental health difficulties.

This project will use data from a large sample of children born in the early 1990s and their families. Measures of maternal depression were taken regularly during pregnancy and after birth, as were measures of childhood behavior, emotionality and cognitive function. Further, mental health was assessed at a number of time points during adolescence, when depression and anxiety are at peak onset. This information will allow us to question whether combinations of prenatal and postnatal depression are important in predicting offspring mental health, and whether such associations may be different for male and female infants. If this project does identify sex-specific associations between perinatal depression and offspring mental health, this may lead to targeted gender-specific interventions to avert the onset of mental health difficulties.