Factors associated with mental health in mothers with children under seven.

Background: This Brazilian study investigated the prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) and their associated factors in mothers of children under seven years old.

Method: Participants were 1,172 mothers who answered the SRQ-20 instrument and a questionnaire on sociodemographic and clinical data. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed to identify the variables with a predictive power on CMD symptoms.

Results: The variables with most predictive power were: income, health of the mother during pregnancy, pregnancy desirability and marital satisfaction.

Conclusion: There are several personal, relational and socioeconomic factors that affect mother's mental health. Early interventions are important to reduce problems related to maternal mental health and child development is reinforced, to provide a higher quality of life for the mother-child dyad.