Correlates of Maternal Depressive Symptomatology Among Latina Head Start Mothers

Low-income, Latina mothers are at high risk for experiencing maternal depression, which can impact their young children. This study sought to identify socioeconomic, psychosocial, health, and cultural correlates of depressive symptoms among Latina mothers of Head Start children. A cross-sectional study was conducted with baseline data from 163 Latina mothers enrolled in a larger intervention trial (Mage = 32.7, SD=6.3). Mothers were screened for depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Hierarchical regression models examined whether socioeconomic factors (education, employment, insurance status, income, economic pressure, and number of children in household), psychosocial and health factors (age, lifetime trauma exposure, intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure, living situation, health problems, social support, and prior mental health history), and cultural factors (maternal nativity, preferred language) explained a statistically significant amount of variance in maternal depressive symptoms. 38% of Latina Head Start mothers reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptomatology. Reporting income from earnings and social support were negatively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas lifetime trauma exposure, exposure to current physical and verbal IPV, and endorsing a history of depression were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Cultural factors were not significant. Findings indicate a high rate of elevated depressive symptomatology in this sample. Cross-system interventions are needed that address both structural and psychosocial contributors to maternal depression for low-income, Latina mothers of young children. Future research should continue to explore the role of cultural factors for Latina mothers. Latina Head Start mothers are at high risk for maternal depression. This study found that both structural (e.g., income) and psychosocial factors (e.g., social support, trauma exposure, and prior mental health history) were associated with maternal depressive symptoms for this population. Multidimensional interventions that address both structural and psychosocial factors are needed.