Mothers with Depression, School-Age Children with Depression? A Systematic Review

PURPOSE:  To carry out a systematic review of the association between maternal and school-age children depression and covariate factors. DESIGN AND METHODS:  The key words maternal depression, depressed children, and school-age key words were searched in Medline, Lilacs, Scielo, IndexPsi, and PsycInfo (2004–2010). Clinical and community cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were included. A qualitative checklist was used. FINDINGS:  Thirty studies were included (21.926 dyads). The results supported the association, showing several modulators: family environment, marital adjustment, social support, depression symptoms, and children-related variables. Limitations were nonrandom samples, single informants, and nondepression diagnosis. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:  Identifying mothers with depression may be useful for prevention and early detection of school-age children's depression.