Stressful Life Events, Perinatal Depression, and Mother-Infant Attachment

Young children whose mothers are depressed are vulnerable to a range of negative developmental outcomes beginning during the prenatal period and persisting throughout childhood. There is a need for research to inform pre-and postnatal services for pregnant and post-partum women, especially in high-risk populations. The goal of this study is to enhance our knowledge about perinatal depression (i.e., depression that occurs during pregnancy or within the first 12 months following delivery) and its impact on maternal functioning and mother-infant interactions in low-income, African American women.

Data collection takes place over three time periods. The first home visit takes place during the mother’s third trimester of pregnancy, in which we collect information on a range of risk factors, including prenatal depression, experiences of traumatic life events, and experiences of discrimination. We follow-up with participants at one-month post-partum and collect information on postnatal depression and mother-infant attachment. Finally, we conduct a second home visit between three and six months postpartum using observational assessments to collect information on the maternal-infant relationship.

Preliminary results from the first 35 participants indicate a very strong relationship between discrimination and prenatal depression r(33) = .70, p < .01, and a strong relationship between discrimination and postnatal depression r(33) = .48, p < .01, suggesting that discrimination may be a risk factor for perinatal depression.  Additional results indicate a strong negative relationship between discrimination and postnatal attachment r(33) = -.40, p < .05, a strong negative relationship between prenatal depression and postnatal attachment r(33) = -.48, p < .01, and a strong negative relationship between postnatal depression and postnatal attachment r(33) = -.44, p < .01.

Taken together, these results suggest that pregnant women who experience higher levels of discrimination are at higher risk for experiencing perinatal depression, which in turn could negatively impact the quality of mother-infant attachment during the postpartum period. Additional analyses, which will be presented at the SPR conference, will include an examination of experiences of trauma as well as an observed assessment of mothers’ interaction with their very young infants that consists of mother behavior ratings and infant behavior ratings.