Maternal depressive symptoms and infants' emotional reactivity: The moderating role of mothers' prenatal cry processing

Exposure to maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) may have a pertinent role in shaping children's emotional development. However, little is known about how these processes emerge in the early postpartum period. The current study examined the direct and interactive associations between MDS and cry-processing cognitions in the prediction of infant negative emotionality and affective concern. Participants were 130 mother-child dyads (50% female) assessed at three time points. During the second trimester of pregnancy, expectant mothers completed a procedure to assess responses to video clips of distressed infants and reported about MDS. Mothers also reported about MDS at 1- and 3-months postpartum. At age 3 months, infants' negative emotionality and affective concern responses were observed and rated. We found no direct associations between MDS and both measures of infant emotional reactivity. However, MDS interacted with cry-processing cognitions to predict affective concern and negative emotionality. Overall, MDS were related to increased affective concern and decreased negative emotionality when mothers held cognitions that were more focused on their own emotions in the face of the infant's cry rather than the infant's emotional state and needs. Clinical implications for early screening and intervention are discussed.