The perinatal and childhood outcomes of children born to Indigenous women with mental health problems: A scoping review

Abstract Purpose Maternal mental health problems are common during the perinatal period and have been associated with several negative outcomes in children. However, few studies have examined these associations among Indigenous people, and the findings across these studies have been inconsistent. This scoping review comprehensively examined the perinatal and childhood (≤ 12 years) health and development outcomes of the children of Indigenous women with perinatal mental health problems. Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Joanna Briggs Institute, Wed of Science, Scopus, and other databases were searched electronically for studies examining the associations between any perinatal maternal mental health problems and perinatal and child outcomes among the Indigenous population of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the USA. Two authors reviewed studies for inclusion. Results Of 2,038 records identified, 11 were eligible. One of four studies that evaluated the associations between maternal depression, stress, and anxiety problems, and perinatal and childhood behavioural outcomes found a negative association. Six of seven studies (five used similar cohort data) that examined the associations of maternal substance use disorder and several perinatal and childhood outcomes found at least one negative association. Conclusions Maternal substance use disorder appears to be associated with adverse perinatal and childhood outcomes among the Indigenous population. However, there is preliminary evidence for the other common maternal mental health problems. Further research is therefore critically required to draw definitive conclusions regarding the impact of maternal mental health problems on the perinatal and childhood outcomes.