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Manjeet S. Bhatia
21 October 2011
The article by Susan Pawlby et al is an excellent one and gives new insight into many aspects of antenatal depression and offspring psychopathology. It is a prospective study and longitudinally covers many areas of antenatal depression, childhood maltreatment and subsequent psychopathology.There are. however some limitations. Firstly, there must have been a longitudinal control of subjects having depression but not associated with pregnancy and also a group of pregnant subjects without depression and then effects on childhood psychopathology, and also a control group of children facing antenatal depression but having no psychopathology. Secondly, maternal depression was first assessed at36 weeks of pregnancy and not earlier (because there may be change in severity of depression in every trimester)and then assessment was done at 3 months after delivery (as many cases of antenatal depression and postpartum depression may subside in this period)and then at 12 months postpartum ( which is longer than average duration of postpartum depression).Thirdly, children's experience of maltreatment was taken in preceding 3 months prior to interview at 11 years only. Fourthly, the reason of assessment of maternal history of childhood physical and/or sexual abuse 4 years after birth of offspring not mentioned. Fifthly, the details of rating scale for emotional security would have been more informative. Sixthly, many variables e.g. biological parent versus step parent, only parent/parent living without spouse, inclusion of both parents in study, antenatal depression as a mediator or moderator,effects of antenatal depression on different sibling order, factors associated with continuation of antenatal depression in postpartum period would have been more informative. This study however stresses many important points regarding treatment of depression in antenatal period and need of future studies about continuity of antenatal, perinatal and postnatal depression and its impact on offspring psychopathology. ... More
Conflict of interest: None declared
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