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Maternal Depressive Symptoms When Caring for a Child with Mental Health Problems

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Abstract

As primary caregivers of children with mental health problems, mothers face challenges that put them at risk for depression, which is rarely identified or addressed. The aims of this paper were to (a) identify mean differences among demographic, stressor, threat, and resource variables specified in a theoretical model and thought to be associated with maternal depressive symptoms and (b) determine how much variability in depressive symptoms is explained by these variables. High levels and prevalence of depressive symptoms were found within a quality of life study that these data were drawn from. Of 139 mothers participating in this study, 58% had a score of 16 or greater on the CES-D indicating moderate to high levels of depressive symptoms. Significant differences were found between mothers with higher versus lower levels of depressive symptoms for 11 of the 18 variables. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the variance explained in depressive symptoms based upon the conceptual model with 4 composite variables. Income (step 1), behavioral problems (step 2), threat appraisal (step 3), and resource appraisal (step 4) combined explained 42% of the variance.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded in part by grant #NR05035 from the National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH, to the Center for Enhancing Quality of Life in Chronic Illness at Indiana University School of Nursing; the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction; and the Association for the Advancement of Mental Health Research and Education, Inc. The authors thank the co-investigators, Erika LeBaron, Brenda Costello-Wells, and Kim Walton; the mothers for their participation; and Phyllis Dexter for editorial comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Janis E. Gerkensmeyer & Joan K. Austin

  2. Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Susan M. Perkins, Eric L. Scott & Jingwei Wu

  3. Community Health Network, Indianapolis, IN, 46219, USA

    Jennifer Day

Authors
  1. Janis E. Gerkensmeyer
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  2. Susan M. Perkins
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  3. Jennifer Day
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  4. Joan K. Austin
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  5. Eric L. Scott
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  6. Jingwei Wu
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Correspondence to Janis E. Gerkensmeyer.

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Gerkensmeyer, J.E., Perkins, S.M., Day, J. et al. Maternal Depressive Symptoms When Caring for a Child with Mental Health Problems. J Child Fam Stud 20, 685–695 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9445-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9445-4

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