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Why does this matter?

Understanding the relationship between maternal wellbeing and child outcomes could address inequalities and inform public health intervention points, including changes to health services and adaptations to care pathways.

What do we want to find out?

We want to explore the links between maternal health and use of health services and subsequent impact on their children at Key Stage 1.

What we will do

We will first identify factors driving mothers’ usage of mental health and emergency department services during pregnancy. We then analyse whether perinatal mental health issues and emergency department visits during pregnancy are linked to subsequent child health, development, and educational outcomes.

Background and aims

The project aims to unravel the complexities of maternal/birthing parent health and wellbeing and its profound impact on children's health, development, and educational trajectories in England. It will focus on perinatal mental health and visits to the emergency department during pregnancy. Direct beneficiaries include mothers/birthing parents, children and families, who stand to gain from enhanced healthcare access and targeted early interventions. The implications of the research are far-reaching, with potential benefits also to healthcare professionals, healthcare organisations, and policymakers. The insights from the project could inform early intervention strategies aimed at bolstering perinatal and child health and wellbeing.

The specific research questions are

1. What factors drive mothers’/birthing parents' engagement with mental health services before and during pregnancy? 

2. What factors influence mothers’/birthing parents' use of emergency department services during pregnancy? 

3. Are perinatal mental health issues and emergency department visits during pregnancy linked to subsequent child health, development, and educational outcomes? 

Methods and analysis

First, some basic facts about the mothers, parents, and their children will be gathered using the de-identified data, such as ages or other characteristics like the region they live in. Simple mathematical tools (like averages and percentages) will be used and charts will be created to understand this information more clearly. It will also be possible to analyse geographical differences to see if certain areas have different outcomes in terms of health or education. 

Next, more detailed analyses will be performed to see if we can predict certain outcomes. For example, it will be possible to check if mothers who visited the emergency room during pregnancy are more likely to have children who do well in terms of their development and early education. Methods will also be used to break down the data into groups who might be more or less at risk and find patterns that could help us predict these outcomes more accurately. 

Finally, these prediction models will be assessed to see if they can be used in real life to identify mothers or children who might need extra support. The project may simulate a clinical trial to better understand how accessing mental health services affects the health and wellbeing of both mothers and their children’s development and educational outcomes.

ECHILD data used

• HES: APC and A&E (2011-2013), Mental Health Minimum Data Set (2006-2013) + mother-baby link

• NPD: Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (2015/16)