Correlates of maternal depressive symptoms in a National Head Start program sample

Objective: To examine correlates of maternal depressive symptoms in a diver se, national sample of mothers whose kindergarten-aged children attended a Head Start program. Design and Participants: A cross-sectional study of 5820 mothers was conduc ted during their child's kindergarten year. Main Outcome Measure: Rates of maternal depressive symptoms were assessed b y a validated 3-item depression screen. Results: The ethnic makeup of the group of mothers was non-Hispanic white, 46%; African American, 30%; Hispanic, 13%, American Indian, 6%; Asian Ameri can, 1%; and other, 4%. The mean (SD) age of the mothers was 30.1 (5.55) ye ars, 57% were unemployed, and 68% had at least a high school diploma or had earned a high school equivalency diploma. More than 40% of the mothers scr eened positive for depressive symptoms. The strongest associations after co ntrolling for several biological and demographic variables were maternal ch ronic health problem (adjusted odds ratio, 2.77; 95% confidence interval, 1 .98-3.87), homelessness (adjusted odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval , 1.45-2.77), and lowest income level (adjusted odds ratio, 1.56; 95% confi dence interval, 1.30-1.88). Conclusions: Depressive symptoms were common among mothers of young childre n in this national sample. Interventions must be targeted at alleviating ma ternal depressive symptoms by decreasing poverty, providing support program s for single parents, and establishing accessible and affordable medical ca re for all parents and their children. Primary care physicians can play a k ey role in early identification and intervention.