Poster #103 - Postpartum Depression and Emotional Overeating: Exploring the Mediating Effect of Executive Function

• In Event: Poster Session 13

Abstract

Introduction
On average, 1 in 8 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). This may affect the parent-child relationship and developmental outcomes for children. Within the literature, connections have been shown between maternal depression, children’s executive function (EF), and their eating behaviors. Researchers have found that children of depressed mothers tend to have poorer EF abilities (Power et al., 2021) and that decreased abilities to delay gratification and control of emotions predict a more substantial increase in emotional overeating (EOE) (Groppe & Elsner, 2015). Others found that lower levels of inhibitory control are related to greater food approach behaviors in children (Francis & Riggs, 2018). Furthermore, postpartum depressive symptoms have been found to influence maternal feeding practices and awareness of children’s eating behaviors (Kossakowska & Bielawska-Batorowicz, 2022). While these associations exist, virtually no studies have examined whether child EF abilities may mediate the relations between postpartum depression and EOE. To address this gap, the current study aimed to test whether postpartum depression at six weeks affects children’s inhibitory (Figure 1) and emotional control (Figure 2) at 24 months which, in turn, influences children’s EOE at 48 months.
Methods
The analysis sample included 297 families (49% female; 82% White) participating in a longitudinal birth cohort study in the US Midwest (N = 468). Mother self-reports were used for this analysis. Postpartum depression was assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS; Cox et al., 1987) 6 weeks after birth. Children’s EF at 24 months was assessed using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function- Preschool Version (BRIEF-P; Isquith et al., 2005). Higher scores represent greater EF problems. Children’s EOE at 48 months was measured with the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ; Wardle et al., 2001).
Results
The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 27.0 with a PROCESS package was used to test hypothesized models. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, while accounting for child gender, parent race and education, there was a positive indirect effect of postpartum depression on EOE through children’s inhibitory (B = 0.03, SE = .02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.07]) and emotional control difficulties (B = 0.05, SE = 0.02, 95% CI [0.01, 0.09]). There was also a significant direct effect between postpartum depression and EOE noted in Figure 1 (B = 0.02, SE = 0.01, p = 0.01) and 2 (B = 0.02, SE = 0.01, p = 0.01). These results suggest that higher levels of postpartum depression in mothers may be associated with children’s lower EF abilities (e.g., inhibition and emotional control), which may, in turn, lead to higher levels of EOE.
Conclusions
Early maternal depressive symptoms may have important implications for children’s executive function and emotional overeating behaviors. Research using multiple methodologies to examine these mechanisms more closely is needed. The current findings based on longitudinal analyses stress the need to address symptoms of postpartum depression in mothers, even though symptoms may not reach clinical levels.

Authors

• Samantha Iwinski, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Presenting Author

• Sehyun Ju, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Kelly K. Bost, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign