1 in 5 Australian mothers of children aged 1 year or less are diagnosed with depression, with more than half diagnosed in the first year postpartum.
Prenatal maternal psychological distress has been associated with numerous developmental problems in children, including difficult temperament, poorer cognitive and language skills and an increase in behavioural and emotional problems during childhood.
Many non-communicable diseases that are increasingly burdening Australia's youth - including childhood mental ill health and neurodevelopmental disorders - share features of inflammation, microbiomic/metabolomic dysbiosis and immune dysregulation.
Currently, the greatest spend in addressing mental health is on treatment rather than supporting prevention and early interventions early in life. Early life is a critical period of development and presents a window of opportunity to influence lifelong trajectories of positive growth and wellbeing.
This study hypothesises that elevated maternal psychological distress in the perinatal period increases the likelihood of dysregulation in early childhood i.e. in the regulation of metabolic, physiological or psychological processes. High and constant levels of psychological distress will associate with elevated markers of inflammation and disruptions to tryptophan metabolic pathways.
Ultimately, the goal of this research is to understand optimal timepoints to support the mother's mental health to also benefit her child.
The study aims to identify indicators of maternal psychological distress antenatally and postnatally, and whether these factors are associated with indicators of poor behavioural and/or mental health in early childhood using the ORIGINS cohort.
Researchers can then identify trajectories of maternal and psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) during pregnancy and postnatally and examine the associations with child mental and behavioural health in children at age three.
The Maternal and Child Mental Health and Wellbeing study is made possible through funding by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation.
Investigators
- Dr Jackie Davis at The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Professor Desiree Silva at The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Dr Lisa Gibson at The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Natasha Bear at Natasha Bear Statistics
- Sonia Gregory at Natasha Bear Statistics
- Dr David Martino at The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Ziyi Wang, PhD Student at The University of Western Australia
- Professor Wai Chen at Curtin University
- Professor Susan Prescott at The University of Western Australia