Examining the Relationship Between Screening for Postpartum Depression and Associated Child Health Service Utilization and Costs: A Study Using the All Our Families Cohort and Administrative Data

Introduction Despite a recognized association between maternal postpartum depression (PPD) and adverse child health outcomes, evidence examining the relationship between PPD symptoms and associated child health service utilization and costs remains unclear. In addition, there is a paucity of evidence describing the relationship between early identification of maternal PPD and associated health service utilization and costs for children. This study aims to address this gap by describing the secondary associations of screening for maternal PPD and annual health service utilization and costs for children over their first five years of life. Methods Mothers and children enrolled in the prospective All Our Families cohort were linked to provincial administrative data in Alberta, Canada. Multivariable generalized linear models were used to estimate the average annual inpatient, outpatient, physician, and total health service utilization and costs from a public health system perspective for children of mothers screened high risk for PPD, low/moderate risk for PPD, or unscreened. Results Total mean costs were greatest for children during their first year of life than other years. Those whose mothers were not screened had significantly lower costs compared to those whose mothers were screened low/moderate risk, despite equivalent health service utilization. Discussion Findings from this study describe the secondary associations of screening for maternal PPD using a public health system perspective. More research is required to fully understand variations in health costs for children across maternal PPD screening categories.