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Perinatal maternal mental health and infant socio-emotional development: A growth curve analysis using the MPEWS
Elisa Porter1, Andrew J Lewis1, Stuart J Watson2
1Psychology Discipline, Murdoch University, Australia.
Insights
Maternal anxiety and depression during pregnancy and postpartum negatively impact infant socio-emotional development. Early identification and intervention for perinatal mental health are crucial for child well-being.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal mental health
- Child developmental psychology
- Maternal mental health
Background:
- Pregnancy and postpartum are critical periods for infant emotional development.
- Maternal mental health influences early social interaction and child development.
- Understanding the impact of antenatal and postnatal maternal mental health on offspring is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of antenatal and postnatal maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms on infant socio-emotional outcomes at 12 months.
- To examine the relationship between maternal mental health trajectories and child socio-emotional development.
- To identify maternal mental health as a risk factor for child developmental problems.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 282 Australian mothers and their children.
- Longitudinal assessment of maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms across pregnancy and postpartum (6 and 12 months).
- Measurement of child socio-emotional development using the Brief Infant and Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) at 12 months.
- Growth curve analysis to assess initial symptom levels and changes over time.
Main Results:
- Both initial levels and the growth of maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms predicted increased socio-emotional problems in children.
- Maternal anxiety accounted for 19% of the variance in child socio-emotional problems.
- Maternal depression accounted for 23% of the variance in child socio-emotional problems.
Conclusions:
- Perinatal maternal mental health is a significant risk factor for adverse child socio-emotional development.
- There is a need for early identification and intervention models in perinatal care.
- Targeted screening, assessment, and interventions for maternal mental health issues are recommended for at-risk parents.
- Continued monitoring of young children with mothers experiencing perinatal mental health difficulties is important.
Abstract:
Pregnancy and the early post partum period are widely understood as a critical period for the infant's emotional development and the earliest influence shaping social interaction. The present study aims to understand the potential influence of both antenatal and postnatal maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms on socio-emotional outcomes in offspring aged 12 months. The study used longitudinal data from a prospective cohort study on Australian pregnant women and their children. Data were available for 282 mothers and their children. Maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured in early pregnancy, trimester three of pregnancy, six and 12 months postpartum. Social and emotional development in children was measured using the Brief Infant and Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) at 12 months. Using growth curve analysis of 4 waves of repeated measurement to examine intercept and slope, we found that both initial maternal depression and anxiety symptom levels, and the growth of these symptoms over time, predicted more problems with children's social and emotional development. In the final model anxiety accounted for 19% of the variance in child socio-emotional problems and depression 23% of variance. The results emphasise the importance of perinatal maternal mental health as a potential risk factor for child development. This carries important implications for policy development, such as the need to build early identification and early intervention models in to the current clinical practice for perinatal care, specifically, to develop targeted screening, assessment and interventions to address maternal mental health issues for at-risk parents during pregnancy, and continuing monitoring of young children whose mothers have experienced perinatal mental health difficulties.
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