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Volume 11
Issue 4
10.3390/children11040441
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Article

Psychosocial Adjustment as a Mediator in the Relationship between Childhood Exposure to Maternal Depression and Subsequent BMI and Overweight Risk

by
Lijie Niu
1,
Skylar Hanson
1,
Juanita Preciado-Becerra
1,
Abdulaziz Eskandarani
1,
Xiaomeng Lei
1,2,
Mi Le
1,
Zhongzheng Niu
1,3 and
Bin Xie
1,*
1
School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
2
Department of Radiology and Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
3
Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Children 2024, 11(4), 441; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040441
Submission received: 21 February 2024 / Revised: 29 March 2024 / Accepted: 4 April 2024 / Published: 6 April 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Pediatric Mental Health)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the correlation between early exposure to maternal depression (from 1 month to Grade 3) and the body mass index (BMI) and potential for overweight in adolescents at age 15. It further examined if the pathway of this correlation was influenced by psychosocial adjustment during mid-childhood (Grade 3 to Grade 6), specifically through internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Methods: Our study utilized data from 844 participants in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to assess the effects of maternal depression, observed from when the children were one month old to Grade 3, on BMI and the likelihood of overweight or obesity in adolescents aged 15. We also explored whether the average scores of internalizing and externalizing behaviors between Grades 3 and 6 mediated the impact of early maternal depressive symptoms on subsequent health outcomes. The analysis was adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic factors. Results: Findings revealed that internalizing and externalizing behavioral issues significantly mediated the relationship between prolonged maternal depression exposure and subsequent BMI, as well as the risk of overweight or obesity, in adolescents at age 15. Notably, this mediating effect was predominantly evident in girls. Conclusions: Our research demonstrated that the correlation between prolonged exposure to maternal depressive symptoms in childhood and increased BMI and overweight risk in adolescence was significantly mediated through psychosocial adjustment behaviors. We advocate for further exploration of additional mediating factors in future studies.
Keywords: BMI; obesity; psychosocial adjustment; maternal depression BMI; obesity; psychosocial adjustment; maternal depression

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MDPI and ACS Style

Niu, L.; Hanson, S.; Preciado-Becerra, J.; Eskandarani, A.; Lei, X.; Le, M.; Niu, Z.; Xie, B. Psychosocial Adjustment as a Mediator in the Relationship between Childhood Exposure to Maternal Depression and Subsequent BMI and Overweight Risk. Children 2024, 11, 441. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040441

AMA Style

Niu L, Hanson S, Preciado-Becerra J, Eskandarani A, Lei X, Le M, Niu Z, Xie B. Psychosocial Adjustment as a Mediator in the Relationship between Childhood Exposure to Maternal Depression and Subsequent BMI and Overweight Risk. Children. 2024; 11(4):441. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040441

Chicago/Turabian Style

Niu, Lijie, Skylar Hanson, Juanita Preciado-Becerra, Abdulaziz Eskandarani, Xiaomeng Lei, Mi Le, Zhongzheng Niu, and Bin Xie. 2024. "Psychosocial Adjustment as a Mediator in the Relationship between Childhood Exposure to Maternal Depression and Subsequent BMI and Overweight Risk" Children 11, no. 4: 441. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040441

APA Style

Niu, L., Hanson, S., Preciado-Becerra, J., Eskandarani, A., Lei, X., Le, M., Niu, Z., & Xie, B. (2024). Psychosocial Adjustment as a Mediator in the Relationship between Childhood Exposure to Maternal Depression and Subsequent BMI and Overweight Risk. Children, 11(4), 441. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040441

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