Cancer is an extremely complex biological phenomenon showing enormous variability (e.g., age of patient, cell of origin,
general health status, genetic background, location in an organ, nutritional
status, presence or absence of continued development of neoplasia (i.e., carcinogenesis), presence or absence of enhancers,
rate of growth and division, type and dosage of therapy administered, etc.).
These included characteristics on multiple levels of the child's biopsychosocial context: (1) child factors: race / ethnicity (white, black, Hispanic, and Asian / Pacific Islander / Alaska Native), age, gender, 9 - month Bayley Mental and Motor scores, birth weight (normal, moderately low, or very low), parent -
rated child
health (fair / poor vs good / very good / excellent), and hours per week in child care; (2) parent factors: maternal age, paternal age, SES (an ECLS - B — derived variable that includes maternal and paternal education, employment status, and income), maternal marital status (married, never married, separated / divorced / widowed), maternal general health (fair / poor versus good / very good / excellent), maternal depression (assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale at 9 months and the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview at 2 years), prenatal use of tobacco and alcohol (any vs none), and violence against the mother; (3) household factors: single - parent household, number of siblings (0, 1, 2, or 3 +), language spoken at home (English vs non-English), neighborhood good for raising kids (excellent / very good, good, or fair / poor), household urbanicity (urban city, urban county, or rural), and modified Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment — Short Form (HOME - SF)
health (fair / poor vs good / very good / excellent), and hours per week in child care; (2) parent factors: maternal age, paternal age, SES (an ECLS - B — derived variable that includes maternal and paternal education, employment
status, and income), maternal marital
status (married, never married, separated / divorced / widowed), maternal
general health (fair / poor versus good / very good / excellent), maternal depression (assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale at 9 months and the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview at 2 years), prenatal use of tobacco and alcohol (any vs none), and violence against the mother; (3) household factors: single - parent household, number of siblings (0, 1, 2, or 3 +), language spoken at home (English vs non-English), neighborhood good for raising kids (excellent / very good, good, or fair / poor), household urbanicity (urban city, urban county, or rural), and modified Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment — Short Form (HOME - SF)
health (fair / poor versus good / very good / excellent), maternal depression (assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale at 9 months and the World Mental
Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview at 2 years), prenatal use of tobacco and alcohol (any vs none), and violence against the mother; (3) household factors: single - parent household, number of siblings (0, 1, 2, or 3 +), language spoken at home (English vs non-English), neighborhood good for raising kids (excellent / very good, good, or fair / poor), household urbanicity (urban city, urban county, or rural), and modified Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment — Short Form (HOME - SF)
Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview at 2 years), prenatal use of tobacco and alcohol (any vs none), and violence against the mother; (3) household factors: single - parent household, number of siblings (0, 1, 2, or 3 +), language spoken at home (English vs non-English), neighborhood good for raising kids (excellent / very good, good, or fair / poor), household urbanicity (urban city, urban county, or rural), and modified Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment — Short Form (HOME - SF) score.
Despite the significant impact of maternal depression on mothers and children alike, maternal mental
health needs are often neglected or undiagnosed.18 Prevalence
rates of maternal depression are high among low - income women due to the greater challenges they may face related to financial hardships, low levels of community or familial support, and societal prejudice.19 In fact, the prevalence of maternal depression among low - income women in the United States is double the prevalence
rate for all U.S. women.20 At the same time, these women are less likely to receive treatment or be screened for postpartum depression.21 Studies show there are clear racial and ethnic disparities in who accesses treatment in the United States, even among women of the same
general socio - economic
status: In a multiethnic cohort of lower - income Medicaid recipients, 9 percent of white women sought treatment, compared with 4 percent of African American women and 5 percent of Latinas.22