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Trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms across the birth of a child: associations with toddler emotional development

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Abstract

Depression during the perinatal period is common and impacts the physical and psychological well-being of those who experience it. One area of particular significance is the course of maternal depression across time, including the differential effects of depression trajectories during the perinatal period on early child development. The current study explored trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms from pregnancy through 2 years postpartum and their relation to toddler emotional development. Participants included 120 primarily low-income, ethnically diverse women and their toddlers. Depression was assessed during pregnancy, at 3 months postpartum, and at 1 and 2 years postpartum. Toddler emotional development was assessed at age 2 via video observations and mother report. Results indicated a four-class model that best fits the data: low-decreasing (47.5 %), stable-low (22.5 %), stable-moderate (21.7 %), and increasing (8.3 %) trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms. Women in the increasing group reported significantly more toddler social and emotional problems at age 2 than women in all other groups, and women in the stable-moderate group reported significantly more toddler social and emotional problems at age 2 than women in the stable-low group. No associations between trajectories and observed toddler affect expression were found. Results highlight variable courses of depressive symptoms for women across the birth of a child as well as the importance of reducing depression for the benefit of both mother and child. It is important for clinicians working with pregnant and postpartum mothers to assess for depressive symptoms over time and not just at a single time point.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the American Psychoanalytic Association, the International Psychoanalytic Association, the Psi Chi International Honor Society, and Eastern Michigan University. The authors would like to thank the Parenting Project research assistants for their invaluable help with data collection and the families who participated in the study. The authors also appreciate the meticulous coding efforts of Alicia Totten, Jamie King, and Alicia Burditt.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA

    Katherine Guyon-Harris, Alissa Huth-Bocks, Dean Lauterbach & Heather Janisse

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  1. Katherine Guyon-Harris
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  4. Heather Janisse
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Correspondence to Katherine Guyon-Harris.

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Guyon-Harris, K., Huth-Bocks, A., Lauterbach, D. et al. Trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms across the birth of a child: associations with toddler emotional development. Arch Womens Ment Health 19, 153–165 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-015-0546-8

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