Citation

Conners-Burrow NA, Fussell JJ, Johnson DL, McKelvey LM, Whiteside-Mansell L, Bokony PA, Kraleti S. Clin. Pediatr. 2013; 52(2): 171-177.

Affiliation

1University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Little Rock, AR, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0009922812473776

PMID

23378480

Abstract

Objectives. Our objective was to examine the relationship between low- and high-level depressive symptoms in mothers' and children's risks in the areas of home and car safety, monitoring, and exposure to violence. Methods. Participants included 978 mothers of preschool-age children who were interviewed about their home environment and screened for maternal depression. Results. Whereas only 5.7% scored at high depressive levels on the screen, another 21.3% scored at low depressive levels. Logistic regression analyses controlling for demographics revealed that children were significantly more likely to experience home safety risks in 6 of 7 areas when mothers reported either low or high levels of depressive symptoms. Conclusions. Results suggest that children whose mothers experience even low-level depressive symptoms are at increased risk for safety problems in the home environment, pointing to the need for screening and interventions to reduce the risk of injury.

Language: en