How depression during pregnancy relates to children’s behaviour and development

This study analysed data from seven European birth cohorts, including up to 76,514 children. Prenatal depression was associated with higher internalising and externalising behaviours, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and autism spectrum disorder (autism) symptoms. Postnatal depression (in addition to prenatal depression) explained some, but not all, of these associations.

Why is this important?

• Depression during pregnancy affects an estimated one in five women and may influence children’s development and outcomes.
• Until now, large-scale analysis of the impact of maternal depression on multiple child developmental outcomes within the same population has been lacking.

What did they do?

• The authors used large-scale individual participant data from the EU Child Cohort Network (ECCN) from seven European birth cohorts, with sample sizes of up to 76,514 children. This means that the authors re-analysed data that was originally collected for seven separate cohorts or studies. Unlike in a usual literature review where the published results are analysed, in this case, the original raw data was standardised and re-analysed.
• The authors examined the association of mothers’ depression during pregnancy on eight child outcomes: internalising and externalising behaviours, ADHD symptoms, autism symptoms, fine and gross motor development, non-verbal intelligence and language.
• They also examined whether depression before and after pregnancy, in addition to during pregnancy, influenced child outcomes. This was to explore the stages at which maternal depression might impact children and whether depression over time has a cumulative effect.

What did they find?

• Prenatal depression was associated with higher internalising and externalising behaviours, ADHD symptoms and autism symptoms.
• The associations were similar for boys and girls and weren’t influenced by whether the mother had depression before pregnancy.
• The authors examined whether mothers’ postnatal depression could explain any of the association between prenatal depression and child outcomes. They found that postnatal depression in mothers could explain some, but not all, of the impact of prenatal depression on increases in child mental health challenges (i.e. internalising, externalising, ADHD and autism symptoms).

What does this mean for practice?

• Child mental health and wellbeing can be influenced by a mother’s mental health both before and after birth.
• Supporting mothers’ mental wellbeing during pregnancy and in the postnatal period will likely have benefits for both maternal and child mental health.
• Practitioners should discuss and screen for depression with mothers both during pregnancy and after birth.

This summary is one of the child mental health research highlights for April 2026, prepared by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).