Persistent postpartum depressive symptoms and developmental impairment in Bangladeshi children: a cohort study.

Authors

Rasheda Khanam, Verna Mauren Amy Lazar, Nabidul Haque Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Fahmida Tofail, Radiah Azmyne Khan, Pamela J Surkan, Diwakar Mohan, Sachiyo Yoshida, Sunil Sazawal, Fyezah Zehan, Abdullah H Baqui

Published in

Journal of global health. Volume 16. Pages 04207. Jul 03, 2026. Epub Jul 03, 2026.

Abstract

Optimal child development across cognitive, language, and motor domains is essential for long-term health and well-being. Postpartum depression has been linked to adverse child developmental outcomes, but evidence on the impact of persistent postpartum depressive symptoms (PPDS) across these domains and over time remains limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
We retrieved data from the Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement cohort, collected from 2017 to 2018. Our analysis included 799 mother-child pairs from Sylhet, Bangladesh. We assessed maternal depressive symptoms at 42-60 days and 12 months postpartum using the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9, and child development outcomes at 24 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. We used multivariable linear regression models to examine associations between PPDS (depression at both visits) and developmental outcomes in the cognitive, language, and motor domains in children.
Adjusted regression analyses showed that, compared to women with no depression, women with PPDS had significantly lower Bayle's standardised scores in cognitive (-2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) = -3.60, -0.52) and language domains (-3.13; 95% CI = -5.01, -1.25). We found no statistically significant difference in motor domain scores.
We found that PPDS were associated with lower developmental scores in cognitive and language domains among children at 24 months in rural Bangladesh.

PMID:
42396907
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Jul 2026.

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