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Maternal depressive symptoms and children’s cognitive school readiness: the role of gene-environment interplay

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Abstract

Maternal depressive symptoms are a robust risk factor for poor cognitive outcomes in children, yet the role of gene-environment interplay in this association is not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate gene-environment interaction in the association between maternal depressive symptoms and children’s cognitive school readiness. Data come from a population-based birth cohort of 538 twin pairs. Maternal depressive symptoms were self-reported (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) when children were aged 6 and 18 months (a mean score was used). Children’s cognitive school readiness was assessed using the Lollipop Test when children were aged 5 years. Analyses were conducted with structural equation modeling. Maternal depressive symptoms were correlated with children’s cognitive school readiness (r = −0.10). Shared environmental factors explained most of the variance in children’s cognitive school readiness (52%). The remaining variance was accounted for by genetic (30%) and nonshared environmental factors (18%). As the level of maternal depressive symptoms increased, the relative contribution of nonshared environmental factors to the variance in children’s cognitive school readiness increased (0.14 [95% CI: 0.04 to 0.24]), whereas the relative contribution of genetic factors decreased (−0.28 [−0.64 to 0.08]). In contexts of elevated maternal depressive symptoms, environmental — and potentially modifiable — factors may be especially important for shaping children’s cognitive outcomes. This suggests that interventions to improve the early childhood environment of children exposed to maternal depressive symptoms may improve their cognitive outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the participants of the Québec Newborn Twin Study (QNTS). We thank Jocelyn Malo and Marie-Élyse Bertrand for coordinating the data collection, Hélène Paradis and Nadine Forget-Dubois for managing the data bank of QNTS, and Bei Feng and Massimiliano Orri for statistical support.

Funding

The QNTS has been supported by various grants received over the years including grants from the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture (FRQSC), the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche en Santé (FRQS), the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the National Health Research Development Program (NHRDP), the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), Ste. Justine Hospital Research Center, Université Laval, and Université de Montréal. Marilyn N. Ahun was supported by a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the SSHRC. Michel Boivin is supported by the CIHR Canada Research Chair Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal School of Public Health, Montréal, Canada

    Marilyn N. Ahun & Sylvana M. Côté

  2. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Marilyn N. Ahun

  3. Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada

    Mara Brendgen

  4. INSERM U1219, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

    Sylvana M. Côté

  5. Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial Maladjustment, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

    Alain Girard

  6. School of Psycho-Education, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

    Frank Vitaro

  7. University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Richard E. Tremblay

  8. Department of Pediatrics and School of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

    Richard E. Tremblay

  9. School of Psychology, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada

    Michel Boivin & Ginette Dionne

Authors
  1. Marilyn N. Ahun
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  2. Mara Brendgen
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  3. Sylvana M. Côté
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  4. Alain Girard
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  7. Michel Boivin
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  8. Ginette Dionne
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Contributions

MNA developed the study concept, performed the data analysis, and prepared the first draft of the manuscript under the supervision of GD, MB, and SMC. GD, MB, and AG helped with data analysis and interpretation of results. All authors contributed to the study design and interpretation of results and provided critical revisions. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ginette Dionne.

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Ethics approval

All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the ethics board of the St-Justine Hospital Research Centre.

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Written informed consent was obtained from parents.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ahun, M.N., Brendgen, M., Côté, S.M. et al. Maternal depressive symptoms and children’s cognitive school readiness: the role of gene-environment interplay. Arch Womens Ment Health 25, 595–602 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01207-x

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