Maternal depressive symptoms are associated with global developmental delay during infancy: Results from the MAASTHI birth cohort in Bengaluru, India.

Introduction Global developmental delay is a significant public health concern as it affects a child's physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development, with serious life-long adverse consequences throughout life. The impact of maternal depressive symptoms on early childhood development remains a critical gap as the available evidence predominantly focuses on school-aged and older children. This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal depressive symptoms and global developmental delay during infancy in the MAASTHI birth cohort in Bengaluru, India. Methods In this prospective cohort study, 5,694 pregnant women aged 18–45 years were screened. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during pregnancy, at birth, and when the child was 14 weeks and one year. Developmental milestones were evaluated using the Trivandrum Developmental Screening Chart based on direct observation and caregiver responses when the child was 14 weeks and one year old. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of global developmental delay associated with maternal depressive symptoms during the perinatal period, adjusted for potential confounders. Results Children of mothers with higher depressive symptoms during pregnancy had 76% higher odds of global developmental delay at 14 weeks (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.25–2.48) and a twofold increase in odds at one year (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.45–2.75). Conversely, children of mothers with postpartum depressive symptoms had a 7.9% higher odds of GDD at 14 weeks (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01–1.15) and an 8.6% higher odds at one year (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02–1.17). Conclusion Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum are significantly associated with an increased risk of global developmental delay in children. These findings highlight the urgent need for scalable, targeted interventions to address maternal mental health in low-resource settings to improve developmental outcomes in children.