Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

How postpartum depression affects children

Nicole Letourneau, PhD and Justin Joschko
Conditions
October 5, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

At long last, people are talking about postpartum depression. Dismissed for years as no more than a touch of the baby blues or else unheard of entirely, postpartum depression — or PPD, as it is often known — has become an open subject. Healthcare providers are aware of it, many nurses and physicians routinely screen mothers for it, and articles in parenting magazines and major newspapers have been written about it.

But despite this progress, postpartum depression remains misunderstood in one very critical regard: namely, that it’s something that only happens to, and thus only adversely affects, mothers.

This assumption causes problems for two reasons. First, it ignores the fact that both men and women can suffer from PPD. Though more common in mothers — affecting anywhere from 10% to 25% of them — PPD also affects 10% to 14% of new dads. The symptoms for paternal and maternal PPD overlap considerably, including fatigue, irritability, and withdrawal, and they occur at the same point in time — roughly a month after the baby is born.

What’s more, the two groups appear closely connected. Among fathers suffering from PPD, a full half of them have partners who are suffering themselves. This means that in a significant number of households affected by PPD, both adults are suffering together.

This leads to the second problem: PPD’s affect on children.

During the first two to three years of their lives, children grow millions of neural connections a second — far more than they will ever need — in order to allow their brains to develop in whatever way best suits their environment. This adaptability, called neural plasticity, decreases with age, as the most used connections thicken and strengthen and the neglected ones wither and shrink.

This brief window of phenomenal adaptability allows children to learn complex procedures, such as motor skills and language, at an incredible rate.

Unfortunately, it also makes them vulnerable to the anxiety, frustration and emotional strain caused by depression. These problems sink into their malleable minds like fingers into putty, leaving marks that may never fully disappear. Consequently, children of depressed parents have a heightened risk of many emotional, intellectual and behavioral problems – especially when both parents are suffering.

Sometimes these symptoms take years to show up — a recent study found that having a depressed mother at age two predicted a greater risk of anxiety at age 11 — but when the symptoms do show up, they often stick around. PPD has been linked to anger issues and withdrawal in infancy, aggression, anxiety and lower IQ scores in school-age children, and drug use, alcoholism and ADHD in teenagers.

These conditions often impact children’s chances of long-term success, and can lead to lower levels of education, increased risks of poverty, and a host of mental and physical disorders.

Given such longstanding consequences, it’s all the more vital that we develop a proactive support system for mothers and fathers afflicted with PPD. Comprehensive postnatal screening would allow training clinicians to spot individuals who may be suffering, and a network of professional counselors and peer groups would help new parents manage the symptoms of PPD before they get out of hand — and also help them feel less alone.

The benefits of such a program extend far beyond just helping parents. A solid prenatal and postnatal support system — not just for those with PPD, but all parents struggling with poverty, addiction, or psychological problems — would give otherwise at-risk children a chance to thrive.

Parents don’t just raise children; they raise the next generation of workers, innovators, and leaders. By helping them, we help their children, our society, and ourselves.

ADVERTISEMENT

PPD is not the only problem requiring a family first solution — but it is a good place to start. Support for parents who are struggling is a down payment on a brighter future.

Nicole Letourneau and Justin Joschko are co-authors of the book, Scientific Parenting.  This article originally appeared in Evidence Network.

Prev

A primer on addressing patients

October 5, 2013 Kevin 24
…
Next

Communicating with patients with serious or terminal cancers

October 5, 2013 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A primer on addressing patients
Next Post >
Communicating with patients with serious or terminal cancers

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Nicole Letourneau, PhD and Justin Joschko

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    How digital media can help parents bond with their children

    Nicole Letourneau, PhD and Justin Joschko

More in Conditions

  • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

    Katharina Schwan, MPH
  • It’s time for pain protocols to catch up with the opioid crisis

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Earwax could hold secrets to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease

    Sandra Vamos, EdD and Domenic Alaimo
  • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

    Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
  • Why health care must adapt to meet the needs of older adults with disabilities

    Lynn A. Schaefer, PhD
  • 4 traits every new attending physician needs to thrive

    Sarah Epstein
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

      Katharina Schwan, MPH | Conditions
    • It’s time for pain protocols to catch up with the opioid crisis

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • First impressions happen online—not in your exam room

      Sara Meyer | Social media
    • How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

      Brian Sutter | Policy
    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

      Katharina Schwan, MPH | Conditions
    • It’s time for pain protocols to catch up with the opioid crisis

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • First impressions happen online—not in your exam room

      Sara Meyer | Social media
    • How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

      Brian Sutter | Policy
    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...