Peculiarities of physical development of young children of mothers with postpartum depression in Ukraine

Background. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a psychosocial factor that adversely affects infant development. The purpose was to assess the features of physical development in children aged up to 6 months depending on the presence or risk of PPD in the mother. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 886 infants aged 0–6 months. The psychoemotional status of mothers was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. A comparative analysis was conducted of body weight (BW), body length, body mass index (BMI), and head circumference among three groups of infants (group 1 — mothers with PPD; group 2 — at risk of PPD; group 3 — without PPD symptoms). Results. In boys from group 1, starting from the first month of life through the fifth month, BW was significantly lower (p < 0.01) compared to boys from group 3. Among girls, the first statistically significant BW differences between groups appeared on the second month of life. BMI in boys from group 1 during the first month was 13.5 [12.8; 14.2] kg/m2 compared to 14.4 [13.5; 15.0] kg/m2 in group 3 (p < 0.05); at 3 months — 15.6 [14.7; 16.3] kg/m2 in group 1 vs. 16.8 [15.9; 17.4] kg/m2 in group 3 (p < 0.01). In girls, BMI at 1 month was 13.2 [12.6; 13.9] kg/m2 in group 1 and 14.0 [13.2; 14.8] kg/m2 in group 3 (p < 0.05); at 3 months — 15.4 [14.5; 16.1] kg/m2 and 16.5 [15.6; 17.2] kg/m2, respectively (p < 0.01). By 5 months, no significant differences between groups were found in body length or head circumference. Conclusions. Infants of mothers with PPD showed significant delays in physical development from 2–3 months of age, primarily due to reduced BW relative to height, which worsened by 6 months, especially among boys. Similar trends were observed in children of mothers at risk for PPD. These findings underscore the importance of early psychological support for mothers and the need for further research.