Positive Parenting of Mothers with Depression and Children’s Behaviors: A Systematic Review

The mechanisms underlying the impact of maternal depressive disorders on children’s behaviors are still poorly understood, especially those concerning positive practices. This systematic review is intended to fill in this gap by taking into account the direct or mediating effects of maternal positive parenting practices. The main objective was to identify and analyze the methodologies and the main results reported by recent empirical studies that addressed the positive parenting practices of mothers with depression and their potential influence on children’s behavioral problems and socialization. PRISMA normative guidelines were adopted and were included studies published from 2008 to 2020 and indexed to the main databases. The following combination of keywords was used: Parenting, Maternal Depress* and Depress* Mother. Thirty-two studies were analyzed, and 25 studies of which presented significant direct or mediating effects for positive parenting practices on children’s outcomes. Low levels of these practices intensified internalizing and externalizing problems, while high levels increased children’s social adjustment resources. These findings indicate that maternal positive parenting, in the context of maternal depression, eased children’s behavior problems and favored socialization, which highlights the importance of preventive measures intended to improve the positive parenting skills of depressed mothers, as a way to prevent problems and promote children’s mental health.