Infant emotionality and maternal depression at 6 months postpartum

Postpartum depression is a global concern associated with multiple complications, including the risk of suicide. Beyond the suffering experienced by women with postpartum depression, research provides evidence of its negative impact on mother-infant relationships. However, little attention has been given to the potential impact of infant characteristics on development or severity of postpartum depression.

The purpose of this study was to determine if greater infant emotionality is associated with symptoms of maternal depression at 6 months postpartum. Emotionality was defined as infant negative affectivity and emotional reactivity in response to a stressor.

At 6 months postpartum, women completed questionnaires to assess their history of depression, current depressive symptoms, and infant's negative affectivity. Mother and infant also participated in a video-recorded, stressor protocol (the Still Face Paradigm) that was later coded for infant emotional reactivity, using a standardized measure.

Postpartum depression ranged from asymptomatic to severe, with 10 % of women meeting criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. Linear regression indicated that infant negative affectivity (β = 0.93, p = 0.002), but not emotional reactivity, was associated with mother's depressive symptoms at 6 months postpartum. Neither a woman's previous diagnosis of depression nor her prenatal depression predicted infant negativity, supporting the directional effect of infant negativity on postpartum depression.

Findings indicate the need for early assessment of infant temperament and mother-infant interactions, especially among women with a history of depression. Early intervention to assist mothers in caring for infants with more challenging affective behaviors may prevent development or worsening of postpartum depression.