Evaluation of early development of 6-month-old babies in the case of maternal post-partum depression

Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression can negatively affect the first interactions with the child and, consequently, his or her emotional, social and cognitive development. The aim of the current study was to investigate 6-month-old children's global development whose mother is suffering from postpartum depression. Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study. Our studied population was 6-month-old babies hospitalized with their mothers at the Marseille mother-baby unit for maternal postpartum depression. The mothers were diagnosed clinically by a psychiatrist specialized in postpartum depression using DSM-5; child development was assessed at 6 months by an independent healthcare professional using the Brunet-Lezine Scale. Results: We followed 40 mother-infant dyads. None of the 40 children had a global developmental delay. However, maternal depression was significantly associated with poorer sociability and with a lower level of posture development of infants at 6 months of age. Posture development was significantly lower in children of bipolar mothers than in children of non-bipolar mothers. Children’s development quotients were more impaired in cases of maternal anxiety comorbidity. Conclusions: The findings indicate that postpartum depression was associated with a weakness in sociability and posture at 6-month development of the child.