Recently, we talked about some difficulties faced by women in the postpartum period and mentioned that postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10 to 15% of women. PPD disrupts the healthy relationship between the mother and the baby and can also lead to negative consequences for the child's development.
A study published recently (Alvarez, 2012) evaluated different aspects of the development of preschool children whose mothers experienced postpartum depression compared to children whose mothers did not have this issue. The following parameters were assessed: resilience; school adaptation; self-esteem; verbal intelligence; social competence for peer formation; and internalization and externalization of problems. Other variables that were also evaluated included: mother's education level; presence of family conflict; separation from the biological father; and stressful events in the child's life.
The researchers found that children whose mothers had PPD showed lower scores on the ego-resilience scale, which measures the ability to cope well with emotions and stress, lower social competence for peer formation, and lower school adaptation, which is the ability to adjust well to the school environment. Additionally, girls, daughters of mothers with PPD, exhibited lower verbal intelligence and more difficulties in externalizing problems.
The results of this study show that a child's ability to cope with stress and interact with peers during the preschool period can be particularly affected by the postpartum depression experienced by their mothers.
On the other hand, data collected in a longitudinal study in Canada (Naicker, 2012), which involved 937 children, indicated that exposure of the baby to maternal depression in the postpartum period does not increase rates of emotional disorder in adolescence. The critical period occurs between ages 2-5, during which the likelihood of emotional disorder in adolescence doubles when children in this age range are exposed to maternal depression.
Although the study published by Naicker (2012) did not demonstrate the correlation of PPD with the incidence of emotional disorders in adolescence, several studies show a significant influence of the mother (or primary caregiver) on the neurobiological and psychological development of the child. If the mother suffers from PPD, certainly the quality of interaction with her baby is compromised.
Maselko et al. (2011) used data collected during a cohort study conducted in Providence, United States, to assess the relationship between the mother's affective quality with the baby and her mental health in adulthood. The first data were collected when the babies were 8 months old, and their mental health was measured when they were 30 years old. It was observed that babies who were treated with the highest levels of affective quality showed fewer symptoms of discomfort in adulthood.
Talking about PPD and reinforcing the importance of the mother-baby affective relationship for the healthy development of the child is not a reason for tension or perplexity. On the contrary, it is yet another reason why it is important for the attention of friends, family, and health professionals to focus on the woman in the postpartum period. It is also a call to companies that sell products and services related to well-being: what is currently offered to this audience?
All support is essential for this woman to feel welcomed and to be able to embrace with all her affection this being that comes to bring new meaning to her life and to whom she will certainly dedicate the most sublime love that a human being can experience.
“So great is this love with its shine
that mothers should have two hearts:
one to beat only for their children
and the other to feel the other emotions”
(Excerpts from “Maternal Love,” by Ancelmo Portela).
References:
Kersten-Alvarez LE, Hosman CM, Riksen-Walraven JM, Van Doesum KT, Smeekens S, Hoefnagels C. Early school outcomes for children of postpartum depressed mothers: comparison with a community sample. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2012 Apr;43(2):201-18;
Kiyuri Naicker, Maeve Wickham, Ian Colman. Timing of First Exposure to Maternal Depression and Adolescent Emotional Disorder in a National Canadian Cohort. PLoS One. 2012; 7(3): e33422;
Maselko J, Kubzansky L, Lipsitt L, Buka SL. Mother's affection at 8 months
predicts emotional distress in adulthood. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2011; Jul;65(7):621-5
