Epidemiol Health.
2019;41:e2019035. 10.4178/epih.e2019035.
The relationship between maternal mental health and communication skills in children in Shiraz, Iran
- Affiliations
-
- 1Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- 2Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- 3Colorectal Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. rezaiana@gmail.com
- 4Department of Radiology, Medical Imaging Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- 5Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
- 6Shiraz Neuroscience Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- 7Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- KMID: 2469437
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2019035
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Child development is a significant issue in global public health, and maternal mental health (MMH) can have a remarkable effect on children's development of communication skills. We aimed to investigate the association between MMH and communication skills in a sample of Iranian children.
METHODS
This study was conducted in Shiraz, Iran during 2016. In total, 640 mothers who lived in Shiraz and were registered in the Fars Birth Cohort (FBC) study were invited to attend the FBC clinic with their children. A trained physician evaluated MMH using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Additionally, a trained nurse assessed the children's communication development status using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire for 60-month old children.
RESULTS
The majority of the mothers were homemakers (82.8%) and had high school diplomas (38.9%). The mothers' mean age was 33.7±4.6 years. Seventy-nine (12.3%) children had delayed communication skills, but no significant association was found between children's communication skills and the mothers' total GHQ score (p=0.43). In total, 493 mothers (77.0%) had abnormal somatic symptoms, 497 (77.7%) had abnormal anxiety/insomnia, 337 (52.7%) had social dysfunction, and 232 (36.3%) suffered from depression. Logistic regression indicated that after adjusting for confounders, the odds of delayed communication skills were 3-fold higher among the children of mothers with abnormal somatic symptoms than among other children (p=0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
The study results confirmed that MMH had a significant impact on children's communication skills. Moreover, maternal abnormal somatic symptoms exerted the strongest impact on the development of communication skills in 5-year-old children.
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