Maternal Stress, Depressive Symptoms and Body Mass Index of Adolescents: A Prospective Study

Abstract Background Changes in adolescent dietary and sedentary behaviors contribute to adolescence being one of the most vulnerable periods for the development of overweight and overweight-related morbidity. Children become more autonomous during adolescence, particularly in regard to decision-making over their own health behaviors. Despite this expanding autonomy, parents still play a major role in shaping health behaviors of adolescents and can still have influence on children’s weight outcomes. There is rising evidence that maternal stress and depressive symptoms are associated with young children’s weight outcomes. Longitudinal studies that test whether maternal stress or depressive symptoms may precede the development of adolescents’ weight outcomes are rare. This study aimed to fill this gap.Methods In this longitudinal cohort study data from 336 mothers and adolescents aged 10–14 years was used. Adolescents height and weight were measured, and both parents and adolescents filled in questionnaires on perceived stress and depressive symptoms. Regression analyses were performed in R to examine longitudinal links between stress and depressive symptoms at baseline (T1) and adolescents’ zBMI 6 months later (T2).Results Maternal general perceived stress (β = .14, p = .01) at T1 preceded the development of higher adolescents’ zBMI at T2, after controlling for baseline zBMI and other covariates, whereas maternal depressive symptoms at T1 (β = .04, p = .40) and other domain specific stress did not (maternal financial stress, maternal stress at work, maternal stress at home). Additionally, lower educational level among adolescents was associated with a higher zBMI at T2 (β = .16, p = .001).Conclusions Results suggest that maternal general stress, but not depressive symptoms, may influence adolescents’ weight development. Our findings warrant future investigation on whether and how general stress among mothers, but also fathers, may predict weight increases of their adolescent offspring.