Maternal views on self-injurious behavior and its relation to mental health problems of future offspring

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.058

Commentary

What are the consequences of mothers' beliefs about depression and self-injury on their children's mental disorders? This is not well understood.

In this study, the sample consisted of 8,425 mothers and offspring from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, an ongoing birth cohort study. Exposures were maternal self-harm and depression, collected at 11 time points from 18 weeks gestation to 18 years postpartum and measured using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale.

Outcomes were major depressive disorder in the past year and lifetime self-harm in offspring assessed at age 24.

Results.

16.7% of the mothers reported thoughts of self-injury at one of the 11 assessment points. The frequency of maternal self-injury was dose-responsively related to both outcomes.

If the mother thought about self-injury five to eleven times, the child was three times more likely to be depressed. This was compared to those whose mothers reported never having thought of self-injury. Maternal thoughts of self-harm were associated with both offspring outcomes independently of maternal depression, and no evidence of an interaction between the two exposures was found.

However, clinicians collecting this data should consider exercising caution when asking about thoughts of self-injury in assessments. Examining accumulated maternal thoughts of self-harm over time may provide insight into which children are most at risk for later self-harm and depression.