Peer-reviewed article
Correlates of Maternal Depressive Symptomatology Among Latina Head Start Mothers.
Palmer Molina A, Premo EM, Duan L, Mennen FE ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined what factors are associated with depression in low-income Latina mothers of Head Start children. Researchers surveyed 163 mothers and found that 38% showed clinically significant signs of depression. Income from work and having social support reduced depression risk, while past trauma, current intimate partner violence, and prior depression history increased it.
Key points
- 38% of Latina Head Start mothers reported clinically significant depressive symptomatology
- Income from earnings and social support were negatively associated with depressive symptoms
- Lifetime trauma exposure, current physical and verbal intimate partner violence, and history of depression were positively associated with depressive symptoms
- Cultural factors such as maternal nativity and preferred language were not statistically significant
- Cross-system interventions addressing both structural and psychosocial factors are recommended
Limitations
This was a cross-sectional study that examined associations only, not causal relationships. The study cannot determine whether these factors cause depression or result from it, and findings may not generalize beyond low-income Latina mothers in Head Start programs.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: 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.