TITLE:
Impact of postnatal maternal depressive symptoms and infant’s sex on mother-infant interaction among Bangladeshi women
AUTHORS:
Maigun Edhborg, Beatrice Hogg, Hashima-E Nasreen, Zarina Nahar Kabir
KEYWORDS:
Postpartum Depressive Symptoms; Mother-Infant Interaction; Bonding; Bangladesh
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.2,
February
28,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Aim: To
investigate the impact of postnatal depressive symptoms and infant sex on
perceived and observed mother-infant interaction among rural Bangladeshi women. Methods:
Fifty women with depressive symptoms and their infants at 2 - 3 months
were compared with 50 women without depressed symptoms and their infants,
matched on geographic areas, parity and infant sex. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression
Scale assessed depressive symptoms, the
Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire assessed the mother’s perception of bonding with the infant and mother-infant interactions were videotaped and analyzed with the Global Rating
Scale. Results: Mothers with
depressive symptoms were poorer, were less educated and rated lower infant bonding than mothers without depressive symptoms (p = 0.03), yet objective observation
revealed no difference between the two groups regarding maternal interactive
behavior (p = 0.57). However, infants, particularly boys (p = 0.002), of
mothers with depressive symptoms fretted more in
mother-infant interaction than infants of mothers without depressive
symptoms (p = 0.009). Conclusion:
Although mothers with depressive symptoms did not show less sensitivity in interactive
behavior at 2 - 3 months than those without depressive symptoms, our results
indicate that infants, particularly boys, of mothers with depressive symptoms
may be negatively influenced by depressive symptoms.