WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Child atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with higher maternal depression scores, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Hannah Eunhae Kang, from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues examined the relationship between child AD activity and severity with maternal depression across childhood. The analysis included 12,124 mother-child dyads participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

The researchers found that mothers of children with active AD had higher Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores, with an average increase of 0.33 points when adjusting for child sex, maternal age at delivery, maternal race and ethnicity, measures of socioeconomic status, maternal history of AD, and maternal history of prenatal and postnatal depression. Severe AD was associated with a 0.68-point increase in EPDS scores, yielding a 45 percent increase in the odds of clinically relevant symptoms. There was a dose-response relationship between maternal depression and AD severity throughout childhood, with the largest effect sizes at ages 3 to 7 years among mothers of children with severe AD from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

“Early and ongoing mental health support for mothers of children with AD may include regular mental health screenings for mothers, particularly those managing severe cases and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text