Untreated Major Depression During Gestation: The Physical and Mental Implications in Women and Their Offspring

Abstract

While postpartum depression has been extensively studied and is a concern surrounding major depression in women, the effects of major depression during pregnancy alone should also be considered. The purpose of this review article was to explore in longitudinal fashion, from neonate to adulthood, the lasting physical and mental implications that depression during gestation can present in offspring. Consideration of various sources pulled from the OVID Medline database yielded findings consistent with negative associations between gestational depression and offspring outcomes. In mothers, gestational depression presents with physical implications, such as preeclampsia and preterm delivery, leading to low birth weight and neurodevelopmental complications in neonates. As the children grow older, these complexities manifest as socioemotional, behavioral, and linguistic development delays presenting as increased incidence in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnoses, parental attachment issues, and lower emotional and verbal IQ. Research regarding adolescents and adults is sparse in comparison with that of earlier stages, but there are studies that examine the developmental outcomes of certain mood disorders, such as generational depression, in the offspring of birthing parents with prenatal depression. This review presents an extended timeline of the effects of gestational major depression in offspring, and it provides suggestions for future research regarding underlying biological explanations and certain risk outcomes.