Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Updated : June 3, 2021 11:27 AM IST
Image credits by: Mother's Depression Can Ruin Your Relationship With Your Kid
After staying up late while taking care of the baby, finding ways to research 'all things baby' options online it can be stressful! Between physical and emotional changes, it is not usually a cause of concern, but it can be when you are depressed. A new study published in the journal 'BJPsych Open' found that women with depression during pregnancy, or with a history of depression may not have the best relationship with their child.
For the study, researchers examined if depression, either before or during pregnancy, affects the mother-infant bond. Researchers examined the quality of mother-infant interactions in three groups of women: healthy women, women with clinically severe depression in pregnancy, and women with a lifetime history of depression but healthy pregnancies.
The study included 131 women: 51 healthy mothers with no current or previous depression, 52 moms with depression referred to the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Perinatal Psychiatry Services, and 28 "history-only" moms with a history of depression but no current diagnosis.
As per the study results, mothers and babies in the depression and history-only groups had worse interaction quality at eight weeks and twelve months. At eight weeks, 62% of moms with depression during pregnancy and 56% of moms with a history of depression only scored in the lowest category of relationship quality as compared to 37% in the healthy group.
According to the study, all mother and baby groups increased in their quality of the relationship between 8 weeks and 12 months, indicating that given time, all moms and their newborns may become more sensitive to each other. At six days, newborn babies of mothers in the depression and history-only groups exhibited lower social-interactive behaviour, which, along with maternal socioeconomic issues, was also predictive of worse interaction quality, although postnatal depression was not.
Lead author and Research Associate at Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Dr Rebecca Bind said, "Our findings suggest that perinatal mental health professionals should offer support not only to women with depression during pregnancy but also to pregnant women with a history of depression, as they may also be at risk of interaction difficulties. Future research should try to understand why a history of depression, despite a healthy perinatal period, may impact the developing relationship."
Senior author Carmine Pariante, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London and Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said, "We recommend that healthcare professionals provide pregnant women at risk of interaction difficulties with examples of positive caregiving behaviours, and with ways to engage their babies and understand their needs, all of which could be incorporated into parenting and birth classes and health visits."
She further explained that there is a need for interventions that can improve mother-infant interaction, such as video feedback, in which a clinician and mother discuss what behaviours work best to engage and comfort the baby, and structured mother-baby activities, such as art and singing groups, should be made more widely available. This is particularly significant since we know that the early years are critical for future mental health.
The researchers used the Crittenden Child-Adult Relationship Experimental-Index which assesses 'dyadic synchrony' a term used to describe the quality of the relationship between mothers and infants. They analyzed three-minute exchanges recorded at eight weeks and 12 months postnatally. Researchers rated the connection based on seven characteristics of behaviour: facial expression, verbal expression, location and bodily contact, love and arousal, turn-taking contingencies, control, and choice of activity.
(with inputs from agencies)
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