Caregivers' depressive symptoms and parent-report of child executive function among young children in Uganda

•We investigate caregiver depression and HIV-affected child neuropsychological assessment.•Depressive symptoms associate with caregiver-reported HIV + child executive problems.•Depressive symptoms did not associate with objectively measured cognition in HIV-affected children.•Assessing caregiver's mental health is important in parent-report measures of neurodevelopment.

Maternal mental health (particularly depression) may influence how child behavior report. Few research has focused on sub-Saharan countries where pediatric HIV concentrates and impacts child neuropsychological development and caregiver mental health. We investigated the associations between caregivers' depressive symptoms and neuropsychological outcomes in HIV-infected (n = 118) and HIV-exposed (n = 164) Ugandan children aged 2–5 years. We compared performance-based tests of development (Mullen Scales of Early Learning, Color Object Association Test), to a caregiver report of executive function (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, BRIEF). Caregivers were assessed with Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 depression subscale. The associations between all BRIEF indices and caregiver's depression symptoms were differential according to child's HIV status. Caregivers with greater depressive symptoms reported their HIV-infected children as having more behavioral problems related to executive functioning. The assessment of behavior of HIV-infected children should incorporate a variety of sources of information and screening of caregiver mental health.