Umeå universitets logga

Background: Responsive caregiver-child interaction is central to early child development. Peripartum depression (PPD) may affect caregiving capacity and increase contextual risk for potential child neglect. One way this may be expressed is through excessive screen time. However, the association between maternal PPD and child screen exposure has not been systematically synthesized.

Objective: To systematically review and meta-analyze evidence on the association between maternal PPD and digital media screen exposure in infancy and early childhood.

Methods: This review was registered in PROSPERO (Tu & Geusens, 2024). Seven databases were searched up to March 2025. Eligible studies examined associations between maternal PPD and child screen exposure from birth to preschool age. Effect sizes were harmonized to odds ratios (OR) and pooled using random-effects models with robust variance estimation. Study quality was assessed using CASP checklists.

Results: Thirteen studies (n = 9603) comprising 17 effect sizes were included. Maternal PPD was associated with higher odds of child screen exposure (random-effects OR = 1.50, 95%CI [1.24–1.81]; robust variance estimation OR = 1.37, 95%CI [1.15–1.65]), with substantial heterogeneity. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed screen type as a significant factor with stronger associations observed for non-television screen modalities.

Conclusion: PPD symptoms were associated with an increased risk of greater screen exposure in early childhood. Given substantial heterogeneity, publication bias, and limited data, findings should be interpreted cautiously. Nevertheless, maternal mental health may be a relevant factor in early caregiving contexts related to children's digital media use. Supporting maternal mental health may help optimize caregiving quality, thus lowering the risk of child neglect.