Richards, M.C.; Ferrario, C.A.; Yan, Y.; McDonald, N.M. The Impact of Postpartum Depression on the Early Mother-Infant Relationship during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perception versus Reality. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2024, 21, 164.
Richards, M.C.; Ferrario, C.A.; Yan, Y.; McDonald, N.M. The Impact of Postpartum Depression on the Early Mother-Infant Relationship during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perception versus Reality. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 164.
Richards, M.C.; Ferrario, C.A.; Yan, Y.; McDonald, N.M. The Impact of Postpartum Depression on the Early Mother-Infant Relationship during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perception versus Reality. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2024, 21, 164.
Richards, M.C.; Ferrario, C.A.; Yan, Y.; McDonald, N.M. The Impact of Postpartum Depression on the Early Mother-Infant Relationship during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perception versus Reality. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 164.
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) can interfere with the establishment of affective bonds between infant and mother, which is important for the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development of the child. Rates of PPD have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely due to the added stress and limited support available to new parents. The present study examined whether parenting-related stress, perceived bonding impairments, quality of observed mother-infant interactions and salivary oxytocin levels differ between depressed and non-depressed mothers, along with differential impacts of COVID-19 on depressed mothers. Participants included 70 mothers (45 depressed, 25 controls) with infants aged 2-6 months. All data were collected remotely to ease participant burden during the pandemic. Depression was associated with experiences of heightened parenting-related stress and bonding difficulties. These differences were not observed during mother-infant interactions or in salivary oxytocin levels. Differences in COVID-related experiences were minimal, though depressed mothers rated slightly higher stress associated with returning to work and financial impacts of the pandemic. Findings highlight the importance of early intervention for PPD to mitigate long-term effects on mothers, children, and families. Additionally, they underscore the need for an early intervention to support the developing mother-infant dyad relationship during this crucial time.
Keywords
postpartum depression; perinatal depression; mother-infant bonding; mother-infant play interactions; Oxytocin
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
