The transition to parenthood is often accompanied by maternal psychological distress; this can include symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress (Bruinhof et al., 2025). Maternal mental health, particularly conditions like depression, is a significant risk factor for the socioemotional and cognitive development of children, often leading to higher rates of mental health issues in adolescents.
With the intergenerational transmission of mental health problems recognised as a public health concern (Clément et al., 2024), addressing maternal mental health is crucial for preventing long-term psychological problems in children and ensuring better developmental outcomes.
Dedicated to raising awareness of mental health problems before, during, and after pregnancy, Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is an opportunity to explore the impact of maternal mental health problems on women and families, as well as to work towards changing attitudes to improve the quality of care for women experiencing maternal mental health problems.
This Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, we encourage you to explore the FREE learning opportunities available on our website and ACAMH Learn, and to share with your networks.
Resources
ACAMH Learn
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Explained with Dr. Raja Mukherjee and Sandra Butcher
- 5 Keys to Keep in Mind When Parenting a Child with ADHD with Erin Schoenfelder Gonzalez
- Assessment and diagnosis of Autism: a guide for families with Emma Woodhouse
- Autism in females: what we know and where do we go? with Clare Harrop
- Females and Autism with Clare Harrop
- ADHD in females with Lotta Borg Skoglund
- Anxiety disorders in children: Top tips for Parents with Dr. Amina Al-Yassin
- What parents should know about interventions for ADHD with Professor David Daley and Dr. Blandine French
Podcasts
- Maternal Experienced Bereavement and Offspring Mental Health with Layla Rashid
- Maternal Disapproval of Friends: Impact on Peer Status and Child Conduct Problems with Professor Goda Kaniušonytė and Professor Brett Laursen
- Nature and Nurture in Fussy Eating with Dr. Ali Fildes, Dr. Moritz Herle, Dr. Zeynep Nas, and Dr. Clare Llewellyn
- Intergenerational Consequences of Racism in the United Kingdom with Dr. Yasmin Ahmadzadeh
- Night-time Sleep Duration and Later Sleep Timing from Infancy to Adolescence with Dr. Isabel Morales-Muñoz
- Negative Parenting, Epigenetic Age, and Psychological Problems with Dr. Stefanos Mastrotheodoros and Dr. Marco Boks
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders in the Children of Depressed Parents with Dr. Vicky Powell
Video Abstracts
- Interactions between infant characteristics and parenting factors rarely replicate across cohorts and developmental domains with Dr. Robert Eves
- Effects of parental depression on their offspring’s mental health with Dr. Victoria Powell
Articles
- Blog Parental Mental Health: Childhood Outcomes and Importance of Creating Positive Relationships
Open Access papers from ACAMH journals
- JCPP Original Article ‘Maternal caregiving moderates relations between maternal childhood maltreatment and infant cortisol regulation’, (April 2025), Miriam Chasson, Jennifer Khoury, Michelle Bosquet Enlow, Karlen Lyons-Ruth
- JCPP Original Article ‘The roles of parental verbal communication and child characteristics in the transmission and maintenance of social fears’, (April 2025), Selin Zeytinoglu, Lauren K. White, Santiago Morales, Kathryn Degnan, Heather A. Henderson, Koraly Pérez-Edgar, Daniel S. Pine, Nathan A. Fox
- JCPP Research Review ‘Examining the association between placental malperfusion assessed by histopathological examination and child and adolescent neurodevelopment: a systematic review’, (March 2025), Noha Ibrahim, Sydni A. Weissgold, Lucy Brink, Ibtihal Mahgoub, Ben Carter, Vaheshta Sethna, Hein Odendaal
- JCPP Original Article ‘Mother–infant stress contagion? Effects of an acute maternal stressor on maternal caregiving behavior and infant cortisol and crying’, (January 2025), Nina Bruinhof, Roseriet Beijers, Hellen Lustermans, Carolina de Weerth
- JCPP Original Article ‘The interplay of maternal and paternal postpartum depressive symptoms with children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms from childhood to adolescence: does socioeconomic status matter? A longitudinal cohort study’, (September 2024), Myriam Clément, Marilyn N. Ahun, Massimiliano Orri, Tina C. Montreuil, Martin St-André, Catherine M. Herba, Gregory Moullec, Sylvana M Côté
- JCPP Original Article ‘Prenatal maternal infections and early childhood developmental outcomes: analysis of linked administrative health data for Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Scotland’, (June 2024), Iain Hardie, Aja Murray, Josiah King, Hildigunnur Anna Hall, Emily Luedecke, Louise Marryat, Lucy Thompson, Helen Minnis, Philip Wilson, Bonnie Auyeung
- JCPP Original Article ‘A pragmatic randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Well Parent Japan in routine care in Japan: The training and nurturing support for mothers (TRANSFORM) study’, (June 2024), Shizuka Shimabukuro, Takashi Oshio, Takahiro Endo, Satoshi Harada, Yushiro Yamashita, Akemi Tomoda, Boliang Guo, Yuko Goto, Atsuko Ishii, Mio Izumi, Yukiko Nakahara, Kazushi Yamamoto, David Daley, Gail Tripp
- JCPP Original Article ‘DHEA: a neglected biological signal that may affect fetal and child development’, (March 2024), Natasha A. Bailey, Elysia Poggi Davis, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn
- JCPP Original Article ‘Maternal experienced bereavement and offspring mental health in early adulthood: the role of modifiable parental factors’, (February 2024), Layla Rashid, Andreas Bauer, Lucy Bowes, Cathy Creswell, Sarah Halligan
- JCPP Original Article ‘Exploring the relationships between pathogen-specific prenatal infections requiring inpatient admission and domains of offspring behaviour at age 5’, (February 2024), Kim Steven Betts, Steve Kisely, Rosa Alati
- JCPP Original Article ‘Exposure to prenatal infection and the development of internalizing and externalizing problems in children: a longitudinal population-based study’, (December 2023), Anna Suleri, Anna-Sophie Rommel, Alexander Neumann, Mannan Luo, Manon Hillegers, Lotje de Witte, Veerle Bergink, Charlotte A. M. Cecil
- JCPP Advances Original Article ‘Prenatal exposure to adverse life events and autism and autistic-like traits in children in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)’, (March 2025), Aleksandra Kanina, Arvid Sjölander, Miriam I. Martini, Agnieszka Butwicka, Henrik Larsson, Amanda M. Hughes, Márta K. Radó, Mark J. Taylor, Alexandra Havdahl, Helga Ask, Mina A. Rosenqvist
- JCPP Advances Original Article ‘The etiology of the association between parental nurturance and youth antisocial behavior: Evidence from a twin differences study’, (August 2024), Alaina M. Di Dio, Elizabeth A. Shewark, Daniel Thaler, S. Alexandra Burt
- JCPP Advances Original Article ‘Maternal psychological distress and temperament traits in children from infancy to late childhood’, (May 2024), Marius Lahti-Pulkkinen, Anna Lähdepuro, Jari Lahti, Polina Girchenko, Riikka Pyhälä, Rebecca M. Reynolds, Pia M. Villa, Hannele Laivuori, Eero Kajantie, Kati Heinonen, Katri Räikkönen
- JCPP Advances Original Article ‘Family-based preventive intervention for children of parents with severe mental illness: A randomized clinical trial’, (February 2024), Anne Dorothee Müller, Ida Christine Tholstrup Gjøde, Nikolaj Thams, Sidsel Ingversen, Mala Moszkowicz, Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen, Lisbeth Juhl Mikkelsen, Signe Sofie Nielsen, Nicoline Hemager, Merete Nordentoft, Anne A. E. Thorup
- CAMH journal Review Article ‘Understanding the impact of children’s and young people’s self-harm on parental well-being: a systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative findings’, (February 2024), Faith Martin, Anne Ferrey, Laura Hobbs, Karen Lascelles, Suzanne van Even, Thomas Oliver