Postnatal Mother-to-Infant Attachment in Subclinically Depressed Mothers: Dyads at Risk?

Dyadic interactions between children and depressed mothers have been characterized as less synchronous and with lower maternal sensitivity, fostering an inharmonious, insecure attachment relationship between mother and child. Thus, these children may experience enhanced early life stress and are at higher risk of disturbed socioemotional development. Recently, this association has also been found in women with mild depressive symptoms. However, potential confounding effects of mother's history of own rearing experiences or infant temperament on the link between depressive symptoms and postnatal mother-to-infant attachment have not yet been investigated. Differences in mother-to-infant attachment (e.g. quality of attachment, absence of hostility, and pleasure in interaction) between mothers with and without symptoms of depression 6-8 months postpartum were analyzed in a low-risk community sample (n = 38, 19 per group). Depressive symptomatology was measured with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Depressed mothers indicated mild-to-moderate depressive symptomatology (mean BDI-II 11.26 ± 3.86) but did not fulfill criteria for a major depressive episode and, thus, were referred to as 'subclinically' depressed. Potential confounders, namely maternal history of own rearing experiences and infant temperament, were explored by multivariate AN(C)OVA. Primiparous mothers with subclinical depression differed significantly from healthy control mothers, i.e. showed poorer mother-to-infant attachment and higher infant-related hostility 6-8 months postpartum. As expected, infant temperament and mother's history of own rearing experiences were both associated with mother-to-infant attachment but did not explain the negative effects of subclinical depression on the mother-infant relationship. Given the high prevalence of maternal depression, the current findings give reason for increased concern for the developing mother-child relationship. Therefore, early interventions are needed that focus on the mother-child dyad and target not only clinically but also subclinically depressed mothers.

Behrendt HF ，Konrad K ，Goecke TW ，Fakhrabadi R ，Herpertz-Dahlmann B ，Firk C ... -  《-》

Maternal lifetime history of depression and depressive symptoms in the prenatal and early postnatal period do not predict infant-mother attachment quality in a large, population-based Dutch cohort study.

Tharner A ，Luijk MP ，van Ijzendoorn MH ，Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ ，Jaddoe VW ，Hofman A ，Verhulst FC ，Tiemeier H ... -  《-》

Maternal bonding in mothers with postpartum anxiety disorder: the crucial role of subclinical depressive symptoms and maternal avoidance behaviour.

Tietz A ，Zietlow AL ，Reck C 《-》

The role of maternal mental health, infant temperament, and couple's relationship quality for mother-infant bonding.

Tolja R ，Nakić Radoš S ，Anđelinović M 《-》

Is the Effect of Postpartum Depression on Mother-Infant Bonding Universal?

Badr LK ，Ayvazian N ，Lameh S ，Charafeddine L ... -  《-》