Depression doesn’t only affect your wellness, it also increases your child’s risk of emotional problems. Previous research has shown that kids whose mothers have symptoms of depression are at a higher risk of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression later on in life. However, according to a new Canadian study, published this month in The Journal of American Medical Association, sending your child off to nursery may help to guard their wellbeing against your emotional health problems.
Of the children of women with symptoms of depression, those who went to nursery – or day care – were emotionally better off than children who were in their mother’s care. Day care children had fewer emotional problems, and were less likely to show social withdrawal and separation anxiety symptoms. The results didn’t change with the age that children began going to daycare, as the benefits shown were similar in preschool children who started attending day care and those who started younger.
According to study researcher Catherine M. Herba, assistant professor of psychology at Universite du Qubec Montral, ‘There might be a number of mechanisms that explain why children of depressed mothers are at higher risks for emotional problems. It could be genetic predisposition to mental health problems, or it could be that mother’s depressive symptoms affect the interaction between her and her child.’ The researchers noted that, in group child care settings, children have more opportunities for social interactions with other kids, and are less exposed to their mother’s depression.
For the study, the researchers examined 1,759 children, aged between five months and five years, and their mothers. Each child’s emotional problems – such as being nervous, fearful or less happy than other kids – were assessed, and the mothers answered questionnaires about their children and their own tendency toward depressive symptoms over time. The results of the study revealed that the increased risk of emotional problems in children of depressed mothers fell if they received child-care services. The authors concluded, ‘Given that most of today’s children experience child care during the preschool years, child care could potentially serve as a public health intervention strategy for high-risk children.’
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