Prenatal and postnatal maternal depression and infant hospitalization and mortality in the first year of life: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Prenatal and postnatal depression have been well studied in recent decades, but few studies address their relationship with hospitalization and mortality in one-year-old children. Objective: Review the literature about the effects of maternal depression on hospitalization and mortality of the child from birth to one year of age and conduct a meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic search was performed in the PubMed and LILACS databases. We included original studies that evaluated the effect of prenatal and/or postnatal depressive symptoms on child hospitalization or mortality up to one year of age. Meta-analyses were conducted according to the outcome and stratified by prenatal and postnatal depression, using random effects models. Results: Six studies were included in this review (170,371). Children of mothers with prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms or depression had 1.44 (CI95% 1.10 - 1.89) greater risk of hospitalization, and children of mothers with postnatal depressive symptoms or depression had 1.93 (CI95% 1.02 - 3.64) greater risk of death before one year of age than those whose mothers did not have the disorder. Limitations: Small number of studies (n < 10), different instrument and cut points were used to evaluate maternal depressive symptoms or diagnose depression. Conclusion: Maternal depressive symptoms or depression have an unfavorable effect on hospitalization and mortality in children up to one year of age. This finding is relevant to public health and should stimulate the systematic screening of prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms, so that adequate care can be provided for women and their children.