Stressful impact of depression on early mother–infant relations (original) (raw)
Related papers
Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association, 2014
Postnatal depression [PND] is associated with impairments in the mother-child relationship, and these impairments are themselves associated with adverse child outcomes. Thus, compared to the children of non-depressed mothers, children of mothers with PND are more likely to be insecurely attached, and to have externalising behaviour problems and poor cognitive development. Each of these three child outcomes is predicted by a particular pattern of difficulty in parenting: insecure attachment is related to maternal insensitivity, particularly in relation to infant distress and emotional vulnerability; externalising problems are particularly common in the context of hostile parenting; and poor cognitive development is related to parental difficulties in noticing infant signs of interest and supporting their engagement with the environment. This article sets out procedures for how parenting could be assessed in ways that are sensitive to the domain-specific associations between parenting...
Background: Several studies have shown a connection between mothers with post-natal depression (PND) and emotional-behavioral problems in their children. Mothers' psychopathology may impair interactional patterns with children and these outcomes can be influenced by father's psychopathological symptoms. The primary aim of the study was to assess over time parent-infant interaction in families where mothers have experienced postnatal depression and have received psychological treatment during the child's first year of life considering the severity of parents' psychopathological symptoms and children's temperament. Methods: Three groups of families were involved: families with mothers with PND wherein both parents followed a psychological treatment (TxMF); families with mothers affected by PND wherein only the mother followed the treatment (TxM) and control families wherein the mothers did not have a psychopathological diagnosis and did not receive any treatment (Con). The families were assessed at two time points through Symptom Check-List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Questionari Italiani Temperamento (QUIT) and the video-recorded procedure observing mealtime Scala di Valutazione Interazioni Alimentari (SVIA). Results: Parents in the TxMF group had significantly lower SVIA scores (i.e . less maladaptive) at T2. TxMF group scored lower at T2 at SCL-90-R, whereas TxM showed no significant differences between T1 and T2. Involvement of fathers in the treatment was important to improve the psychopathological symptoms of both parents and the quality of interactions with their children.
Long-term effects of maternal postpartum depression on mothers’ and fathers’ parenting stress
Early Child Development and Care, 2020
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Journal of Affective Disorders, 2011
Background: Few intervention studies of postnatal depression (PND) have evaluated accompanying changes in parenting, in spite of mounting evidence that exposure to chronic depression is detrimental to infant development. This study examined maternal attitudes and adjustment over the first postnatal year within a treatment trial. The aim was to examine whether maternal adjustment improved with earlier remission, and with combined medical and psychological treatment. Methods: As part of a multicentre pragmatic randomised controlled trial of treatment for PND, mothers completed a measure of maternal adjustment and attitudes and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at an initial home visit (week 0) and three follow-ups (weeks 4, 18 and 44). Results: Maternal attitudes and adjustment improved with PND remission; earlier remission conferred no additional benefit by 44-week follow-up. In line with previous studies, no particular treatment modality (antidepressant or health-visitor delivered non-directive counselling), or combination of treatments, was more effective for improving adjustment to parenthood. However, the earlier start of antidepressant treatment provided a short-term advantage for improving attitudes and reducing perceived stress. Limitations: As a result of the study's pragmatic trial design, there was high treatment noncompliance and no 'pure' control group. More depressed mothers may have been less likely to complete the maternal adjustment and attitudes measure. Conclusions: Effective treatment of PND is important not only for the mother's wellbeing but also for healthy adjustment to parenthood. Provision of treatment choice and early antidepressant treatment are suggested for optimising maternal attitudes and adjustment.
Postnatal depression and mother-infant interaction, and teenage parents
2008
Parenthood is a major life transition. Although becoming a parent is a time of great joy and celebration, often the experience of motherhood is not what new mothers expected. Many women struggle with the countless changes and challenges associated with adjusting their lives to accommodate and nurture a new baby. The following are some quotes from mothers who have attended our Infant Clinic at the Parent-Infant Research Institute (PIRI), Austin Health. "There is a bit of a myth isn't there about motherhood, and how easy it is...? It is so natural to everybody isn't it? I mean as a woman, it's natural to be a mother...?" "We put pressure on ourselves. We assume we are perfect, we are women and we can do it all." The unexpected difficulties new parents face with the arrival of a baby have a significant impact on maternal and paternal well-being and mental health. Parents also often have feelings of guilt regarding the possible impact on their infant. "I feel like such a failure as a parent." "My baby doesn't fit the answers!" Up to 30% of women experience mild depressive symptoms, adjustment problems and anxiety in the postnatal period. Difficulties in managing their baby's settling, crying, weight gain and breastfeeding are physical and emotional stressors and commonly lead to feelings of not coping and inadequate parenting. POSTNATAL DEPRESSION-THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM Postnatal depression is a devastating experience for new mothers. While a substantial number of women have difficulties adjusting, clinical depression affects around 10% of women both preand post-natally. Depression during the childbearing years presents with the same symptom profile as depression at other life stages and occurs across cultures.
Postnatal depression and the original mother–child relationship: A prospective cohort study
Journal of Affective Disorders, 2007
Background: Previous studies assessing the role of early mother-child relationship as a risk factor for postnatal depression have been cross-sectional and/or retrospective in nature. Aims: To examine associations between early mother-child relationship (assessed prospectively and retrospectively) and later risk of postnatal depression. Methods: Dataset from national 1946 birth cohort study; 1137 women at age 51, completed a modified version of the Bromley Postnatal Depression Scale. Results: Compared with women who did not experience maternal separation or recalled moderate to best level of care, women who experienced maternal separation for 3.5 days or more in early childhood and who felt they received a low level of maternal care were at higher risk of postnatal depression (odds ratio (95% CI): 2.4 (1.51-3.79), p = 0.001); this relationship was robust to adjustment for current psychological status. Regular enuresis at age of 6 years (2.2 (1.01-4.90), p = 0.05), and lack of emotional closeness in current maternal relationship (1.6 (1.01-2.46), p = 0.04) were also associated with increased postnatal depression risk. Insufficient evidence was found for a link between other indicators of early behaviour and temperament (anxious, antisocial, or neurotic behaviour) and reported postnatal depression. Limitations: Postnatal depression was assessed retrospectively using self-report, introducing potential bias in recall. Conclusion: Women who experienced early maternal separation and recalled the lowest level of maternal care had a particularly high risk of postnatal depression. In the treatment and management of postnatal depression, the results support health professionals in their consideration of the woman's past and current relationship with her mother; both actual events and the woman's perceptions of them.
An overview of maternal depression, infant reactions and intervention programmes
… Journal of Treatment …, 2006
Studies on high risk motherhood and its effects on mother-infant interactions have focused on depression as one potential factor placing infants at risk of less than optimal socioemotional development. Effects of maternal depression on infant psychological development have been widely documented. Compared with controls, infants of depressed mothers manifest disturbances in their ability to regulate emotion, impairments in their capacity to engage objects and people and to react adequately to social stimulation. These infants also show cognitive problems during development and insecure attachment behavior to mothers at one-year-old. In this article first of all features of maternal depression, its prevalence during pregnancy and post-partum and assessment difficulties will be investigated. Secondly, on the basis of the most recent research, maternal depression effects on child development will be discussed, highlighting how crucial the caregiver quality and the process of affect regulation are for understanding intergenerational transmission of depression. Starting from these considerations then preventive interventions based on home visiting technique, mainly aimed to reduce depression negative impact on child psychological development, will be shown.
Noting that maternal depression is common during a baby's first year, this study examined the interaction of depressed and non-depressed mother-child dyads. A sample of 26 first-time mothers with postpartum depression at the third month after birth and their 3-month-old infants was compared to a sample of 25 first-time mothers with no postpartum depression at the third month after birth and their 3-month-old infants. The observations were repeated at 6 months and again at 12 months postpartum. The samples were compared for differences in mother interaction behavior, mother's infant care, mother's concern with the baby, infant behavioral difficulties, infant mental and motor development, and infant behavior with the observer. Among the findings are the following: (1) depressed mothers' interaction behavior and care of their infants are less adequate than the non-depressed mothers' interaction behavior and care of their infants at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum; (2) infants' interaction behaviors during feeding and face-to-face interaction with depressed mothers are less adequate than infants' interactions with non-depressed mothers at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum; (3) mother-infant interactions are less adequate in the depressed mother dyads than the non-depressed dyads at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum; (4) depressed mothers are less concerned about their infants than non-depressed mothers at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum; (5) infants of depressed mothers have more behavioral difficulties at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum than infants of non-depressed mothers; (6) infants of depressed mothers had lower mental and motor development rates at 6 and 12 months postpartum than infants of non-depressed mothers; and (7) infants of non-depressed mothers behaved in a more positive way with the observer than the infants of depressed mothers. (AS)
British Journal of Psychiatry Open, 2020
Background Postpartum depression is common in the perinatal period and poses a risk for the development of the infant and the mother-infant relationship. Infancy is a critical developmental period of life and supportive parenting is crucial for healthy development, however, the effects of interventions aimed at improving parenting among mothers with depression are uncertain. Aims To assess the effects of parenting interventions on parent-child relationship and child development among mothers with depressive symptoms with 0-12-month-old infants. Method We conducted a systematic review with the inclusion criteria: (a) randomised controlled trials of structured psychosocial parenting interventions for women with depressive symptoms and a child aged 0-12 months in Western Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, (b) minimum three sessions with at least half of these delivered postnatally and (c) outcomes relating to the parent-child-relationship and/or child development. Publications were extracted from 10 databases in September 2018 and supplemented with grey search and hand search. We assessed risk of bias, calculated effect sizes and conducted meta-analysis. Results Eight papers representing seven trials were included. We conducted meta-analysis on the post-intervention parent-child relationship. The analysis included six studies and showed no significant effect. For individual study outcomes, no significant effects on the majority of both the parent-child relationship and child development outcomes were reported. Conclusions No evidence of the effect of parenting interventions for mothers with depressive symptoms was found on the parent-child relationship and child development. Larger studies with follow-up assessments are needed, and future reviews should examine the effects in non-Western countries.