Is very low infant birth weight a predictor for a five-year course of depression in parents? A latent growth curve model

BACKGROUND: A very low birth weight (VLBW) is considered as a significant risk factor for early-onset developmental problems in infants, but is also discussed as a potential risk factor for the development of depressive symptoms in affected parents.

METHODS: In this study, the 5-year courses of maternal and paternal depression with VLBW and term born infants (n = 250 families) are modeled and predicted by factors existing at the time of birth.

RESULTS: The dyadic trajectories of depression could be best described by five classes (I no depression, II minor maternal depression, III increasing dyadic depression, IV significant maternal depression, V highly depressed mothers). VLBW was a significant predictor for the course of parental depression - even under control of preexisting psychiatric disorders and other confounders. Interaction effects and a dose-response relationship were not existent.

LIMITATIONS: Class IV and V had to be merged for the prediction analysis, a missing bias could not be ruled out, and families with a low birth weight (between 2500 and 1500g) were not included.

CONCLUSIONS: The results are well in line with what is known from studies so far, suggesting that maternal and paternal trajectories of depression show distinctable patterns which are associated with a VLBW. An early screening of mothers and fathers of a VLBW infant seems reasonable to prevent the development of a depression in parents and further difficulties for the child.