Impact of Postpartum Depression in Mother-child Early Quality Bonding

Abstract

Introduction: This work aims to determine the impact of maternal postpartum
depression on the quality of early bonding interactions between mother and child. The hypothesis was that those mothers with signs of postpartum depression (PPD) would have the quality of the early bonding with their babies impoverished. Materials and methods: the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale was used for PPD screening, and two observation profiles of mother-baby interaction were applied to assess the quality of the early bonding according to infants age (2-6 months old and 7-10 months old). Results: the dyads with younger babies (2-6 months of age) showed poorer verbal and support interactions, while when babies were older (7-10 months of age) the four types of interactions evaluated (visual, corporal, verbal and holding) were significantly impoverished. Discussion and conclusion: the results indicated difficulties in establishing sensitive and tuned maternal and infant interactions from the first months of infant life, leading to deepening later maladjustment modes of interaction. It is essential the early detection of the presence of disruptive behaviors in mother-baby dyads and their therapeutic approach to prevent future difficulties in establishing the mother-child bond of attachment.