Association Between Maternal Depression and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Their Primary School-Age Daughters: A Birth Cohort Study.
Shayna D Cunningham, Sarah Lindberg, Carol Joinson and 15 others
PMID 38215298WHAT IT FOUND
Daughters of mothers who screened positive for depression both before and after birth had higher odds of urinary urgency, nocturia, and daytime or nighttime wetting at school age.
The association weakened as the girls grew older. Screening for maternal depression may help identify children at risk for lower urinary tract symptoms.
Key findings
01Maternal depression screened positive in both the prenatal and postpartum periods was associated with higher odds of lower urinary tract symptoms in daughters, including urgency, nocturia, and wetting.
02The strength of the association between maternal depression and daughters' urinary symptoms generally decreased as the daughters aged from 6 to 9 years.
03More than a third of mothers who screened positive for depression during pregnancy still screened positive nearly two years after birth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is observational and cannot establish causation between maternal depression and daughters' LUTS. The sample was drawn from a specific region in the South West of England and was predominantly White, limiting generalizability to other populations. Depression was assessed via self-report screening (EPDS) rather than clinical diagnosis, and the cutoff used has high specificity but lower sensitivity. Mothers were the sole reporters of their daughters' urinary symptoms, introducing potential observer bias, especially since depressed mothers may perceive or report symptoms differently. The study did not assess the child's developmental maturity or emotional/behavioral problems, which are known factors in continence and could be confounders or mediators. Data collection began in the early 1990s, so findings may not reflect current patterns of maternal depression treatment or prevalence. Attrition in the cohort was higher among socio-economically disadvantaged families, which may bias the sample.
Declared interests
Dr. Epperson consults for Asarina Pharma and Sage Therapeutics and is a site investigator for an RCT sponsored by Sage Therapeutics. The other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that treating maternal depression will prevent or cure lower urinary tract symptoms in daughters. The study shows an association, not a causal link, and did not assess the effectiveness of depression treatment on child outcomes.