The Effects of Maternal Perinatal Depression on Child IQ: A Systematic Review.

Maternal perinatal depression has been shown to have far-reaching effects on children's development. However, a recent examination of the current studies to discern the associations between perinatal depression and child IQ is not available. In this systematic review, we identified a relationship between limited maternal responsiveness due to postpartum depression and a decrease in full IQ scores in younger children. Male children were more sensitive to postpartum depression, resulting in a decrease in IQs, in comparison to female children..