Effect of Maternal Depression and Environmental Factors on Infantile Colic

• Published in: Erciyes Medical Journal 2019-03, Vol.41 (1), p.80-84
• Main Authors: Güngör, Şükrü, Kırık, Serkan, Özkars, Mehmet Yaşar, Korulmaz, Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: breastfeeding; infantile colic; maternal depression
• ISSN: 2980-2156; 2149-2247
• DOI: 10.14744/etd.2018.18185

Objective: Infantile colic, a condition with unclear etiology that typically occurs in the evening in the first 3 months of life among healthy infants, occurs less frequently after 3 months. The intensity and continuous nature of the act of crying is utterly saddening and wearing for parents. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of maternal depression and other environmental factors on infantile colic. Materials and Methods: The mothers of 100 patients diagnosed with infantile colic according to the Rome 4 criteria and 50 healthy control subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire examining environmental factors and demographic properties. Results: In the comparison of the patients' Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 2 and PHQ9 test scores, PHQ2 test scores were 1.42+-1.40102 (0–5) in the control group and 4.09+-1.61492 (0–6) in the infantile colic group (p≤0.001) according to the PHQ9 test. Mothers in the control group attained 6.28+-4.915578 (1–21) points, whereas those in the infantile colic group had 16.47+-6.95070 (3–26) points (p≤0.001). Conclusion: In conclusion, in addition to the importance of using breast milk alone in the first 6 months and avoiding unnecessary antibiotherapy to eliminate the risk factors for infantile colic, examining maternal depression for solving problems of infants with frequent crying attacks is also of importance for family and public health.