Abstract
Maternal mental health has enduring effects on children’s life chances and is a substantial cost driver for child health, education and social services. A key linking mechanism is the quality of mother-infant interaction. A body of work associates maternal depressive symptoms across the antenatal and postnatal (perinatal) period with less-than-optimal mother-infant interaction. Our study aims to build on previous research in the field through exploring the association of a maternal personality trait, interpersonal sensitivity, measured in early pregnancy, with subsequent mother-infant interaction quality. We analysed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to examine the association between antenatal interpersonal sensitivity and postnatal mother-infant interaction quality in the context of perinatal depressive symptoms. Interpersonal sensitivity was measured during early pregnancy and depressive symptoms in the antenatal year and across the first 21 months of the postnatal period. In a subsample of the ALSPAC, mother-infant interaction was measured at 12 months postnatal through a standard observation. For the subsample that had complete data at all time points (n = 706), hierarchical regression examined the contribution of interpersonal sensitivity to variance in mother-infant interaction quality. Perinatal depressive symptoms predicted little variance in mother-infant interaction. Antenatal interpersonal sensitivity explained a greater proportion of variance in mother-infant interaction quality. The personality trait, interpersonal sensitivity, measured in early pregnancy, is a more robust indicator of subsequent mother-infant-interaction quality than perinatal depressive symptoms, thus affording enhanced opportunity to identify vulnerable mother-infant relationships for targeted early intervention.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Affonso DD, De AK, Horowitz JA, Mayberry LJ (2000) An international study exploring levels of postpartum depressive symptomatology. J Psychosom Res 49(3):207–216. doi:10.1016/s0022-3999(00)00176-8
ALSPAC. ALSPAC Data dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.bris.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/data-access/data-dictionary/
Ashman SB, Dawson G, Panagiotides H (2008) Trajectories of maternal depression over 7 years: relations with child psychophysiology and behavior and role of contextual risks. Dev Psychopathol 20(01):55–77. doi:10.1017/S0954579408000035
Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van Ijzendoorn MH, Juffer F (2003) Less is more: meta-analyses of sensitivity and attachment interventions in early childhood. Psychol Bull 129(2):195–215. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.2.195
Bauer A, Parsonage M, Knapp M, Iemmi V, Adelaja B (2014) The costs of perinatal mental health problems., Retrieved from United Kingdom, http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/pdfs/Costs_of_perinatal_mh.pdf
Bauer A, Pawlby S, Plant DT, King D, Pariante CM, Knapp M (2015) Perinatal depression and child development: exploring the economic consequences from a South London cohort. Psychol Med 45(1):51–61. doi:10.1017/s0033291714001044
Beardslee WR, Bemporad J, Keller MB, Klerman GL (1983) Children of parents with major affective disorder: a review. Am J Psychiatr 140(7):825–832
Belsky J, Crnic K, Woodworth S (1995) Personality and parenting—exploring the mediating role of transient mood and daily hassles. J Pers 63(4):905–929. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1995.tb00320.x
Bornstein MH, Hahn C-S, Haynes OM, Belsky J, Azuma H, Kwak K, Zingman de Galperin C (2007) Maternal personality and parenting cognitions in cross-cultural perspective. Int J Behav Dev 31(3):193–209. doi:10.1177/0165025407074632
Boyce P, Mason C (1996) An overview of depression-prone personality traits and the role of interpersonal sensitivity. Aust New Zeal J Psychiatr 30(1):90–103. doi:10.3109/00048679609076076
Boyce P, Parker G (1989) Development of a scale to measure interpersonal sensitivity. Aust New Zeal J Psychiatr 23(3):341–351
Boyce P, Hickie I, Parker G (1991a) Parents, partners or personality—risk-factors for postnatal depression. J Affect Disord 21(4):245–255. doi:10.1016/0165-0327(91)90004-c
Boyce P, Parker G, Barnett B, Cooney M, Smith F (1991b) Personality as a vulnerability factor to depression. Br J Psychiatr 159:106–114. doi:10.1192/bjp.159.1.106
Boyce P, Hickie I, Parker G, Mitchell P, Wilhelm K, Brodaty H (1992) Interpersonal sensitivity and the one-year outcome of a depressive episode. Aust New Zeal J Psychiatr 26(2):156–161. doi:10.3109/00048679209072022
Boyce P, Hickie I, Parker G, Mitchell P, Wilhelm K, Brodaty H (1993) Specificity of interpersonal sensitivity to nonmelancholic depression. J Affect Disord 27(2):101–105. doi:10.1016/0165-0327(93)90082-u
Boyd A, Golding J, Macleod J, Lawlor DA, Fraser A, Henderson J, Smith GD (2013) Cohort profile: the ‘children of the 90s’—the index offspring of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Int J Epidemiol 42(1):111–127. doi:10.1093/ije/dys064
Campbell SB, Cohn JF, Meyers T (1995) Depression in first-time mothers—mother-infant interaction and depression chronicity. Dev Psychol 31(3):349–357. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.31.3.349
Cox JL, Holden JM, Sagovsky R (1987) Detection of postnatal depression—development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatr 150:782–786. doi:10.1192/bjp.150.6.782
Crittenden PM (1995) Attachment and risk for psychopathology: the early years. J Dev Behav Pediatr 16(3):S12–S16
Crittenden PM (1999) Danger and development: the organization of self-protective strategies. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 64(3):145-+
Evans J, Heron J, Francomb H, Oke S, Golding O, Avon Longitudinal Study, P (2001) Cohort study of depressed mood during pregnancy and after childbirth. Br Med J 323(7307):257–260. doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7307.257
Forman DR, O’Hara MW, Stuart S, Gorman LL, Larsen KE, Coy KC (2007) Effective treatment for postpartum depression is not sufficient to improve the developing mother-child relationship. Dev Psychopathol 19(2):585–602. doi:10.1017/s0954579407070289
Gump BB, Reihman J, Stewart P, Lonky E, Darvill T, Granger DA, Matthews KA (2009) Trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms over her child’s life span: Relation to adrenocortical, cardiovascular, and emotional functioning in children. Dev Psychopathol 21(1):207–225. doi:10.1017/s0954579409000133
Gutierrez-Galve L, Stein A, Hanington L, Heron J, Ramchandani P (2015) Paternal depression in the postnatal period and child development: mediators and moderators. Pediatrics 135(2):E339–E347. doi:10.1542/peds.2014-2411
Heron J, O’Connor TG, Evans J, Golding J, Glover V, Team AS (2004) The course of anxiety and depression through pregnancy and the postpartum in a community sample. J Affect Disord 80(1):65–73. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2003.08.004
Howard LM, Molyneaux E, Dennis C-L, Rochat T, Stein A, Milgrom J (2014) Non-psychotic mental disorders in the perinatal period. Lancet 384(9956):1775–1788
Kemppinen K, Kumpulainen K, Moilanen I, Ebeling H (2006) Recurrent and transient depressive symptoms around delivery and maternal sensitivity. Nord J Psychiatry 60(3):191–199. doi:10.1080/08039480600635975
Khalifeh H, Hunt IM, Appleby L, Howard LM (2016) Suicide in perinatal and non-perinatal women in contact with psychiatric services: 15 year findings from a UK national inquiry. Lancet Psychiatry 3(3):233–242
Kingston D, Tough S, Whitfield H (2012) Prenatal and postpartum maternal psychological distress and infant development: a systematic review. Child Psychiatr Hum Dev 43(5):683–714. doi:10.1007/s10578-012-0291-4
Lovejoy MC, Graczyk PA, O’Hare E, Neuman G (2000) Maternal depression and parenting behavior: a meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev 20(5):561–592. doi:10.1016/s0272-7358(98)00100-7
Luoma I, Tamminen T, Kaukonen P, Laippala P, Puura K, Salmelin R, Almqvist F (2001) Longitudinal study of maternal depressive symptoms and child well-being. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40(12):1367–1374. doi:10.1097/00004583-200112000-00006
Matthey S, Ross-Hamid C (2012) Repeat testing on the Edinburgh Depression Scale and the HADS-A in pregnancy: differentiating between transient and enduring distress. J Affect Disord 141(2-3):213–221. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2012.02.037
Matthey S, Barnett B, Ungerer J, Waters B (2000) Paternal and maternal depressed mood during the transition to parenthood. J Affect Disord 60(2):75–85. doi:10.1016/s0165-0327(99)00159-7
McCue Horwitz S, Briggs-Gowan MJ, Storfer-Isser A, Carter AS (2007) Prevalence, correlates, and persistence of maternal depression. J Womens Health (15409996) 16(5):678–691. doi:10.1089/jwh.2006.0185
McMahon C, Barnett B, Kowalenko N, Tennant C (2005) Psychological factors associated with persistent postnatal depression: past and current relationships, defence styles and the mediating role of insecure attachment style. J Affect Disord 84(1):15–24. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2004.05.005
Megnin-Viggars O, Symington I, Howard LM, Pilling S (2015) Experience of care for mental health problems in the antenatal or postnatal period for women in the UK: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Arch Womens Ment Health 18(6):745–759. doi:10.1007/s00737-015-0548-6
Milgrom J, Gemmill AW (2015) In: Milgrom J, Gemmill AW (eds) Identifying perinatal depression and anxiety: evidence-based practice in screening, psychosocial assessment, and management. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, West Sussex, UK
Monk C, Leight KL, Fang Y (2008) The relationship between women’s attachment style and perinatal mood disturbance: implications for screening and treatment. Arch Womens Ment Health 11(2):117–129. doi:10.1007/s00737-008-0005-x
Murray L, Cooper P (1996) The impact of postpartum depression on child development. Int Rev Psychiatry 8(1):55–63. doi:10.3109/09540269609037817
Murray L, Cooper PJ, Wilson A, Romaniuk H (2003) Controlled trial of the short- and long-term effect of psychological treatment of post-partum depression 2. Impact on the mother-child relationship and child outcome. Br J Psychiatr 182:420–427. doi:10.1192/bjp.182.5.420
Murray L, Arteche A, Fearon P, Halligan S, Croudace T, Cooper P (2010) The effects of maternal postnatal depression and child sex on academic performance at age 16 years: a developmental approach. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 51(10):1150–1159. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02259.x
Murray L, Cooper P, Fearon P (2014) Parenting difficulties and postnatal depression: implications for primary healthcare assessment and intervention. Community Pract 87(11):34–38
NICE. (2014). Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health: Clinical Management and Service Guidance. CG192. Retrieved from United Kingdom: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg192/evidence
O’Connor TG, Heron J, Golding J, Glover V, Team AS (2003) Maternal antenatal anxiety and behavioural/emotional problems in children: a test of a programming hypothesis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 44(7):1025–1036. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00187
Otani K, Suzuki A, Matsumoto Y, Shibuya N, Sadahiro R, Enokido M. (2014) Correlations of interpersonal sensitivity with negative working models of the self and other: evidence for link with attachment insecurity. Ann Gen Psychiatr, 13. doi:10.1186/1744-859x-13-5
Parfitt Y, Pike A, Ayers S (2013) The impact of parents’ mental health on parent-baby interaction: a prospective study. Infant Behav Dev 36(4):599–608. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2013.06.003
Patton GC, Romaniuk H, Spry E, Coffey C, Olsson C, Doyle LW, Brown S (2015) Prediction of perinatal depression from adolescence and before conception (VIHCS): 20-year prospective cohort study. Lancet 386(9996):875–883. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62248-0
Pearson RM, Melotti R, Heron J, Joinson C, Stein A, Ramchandani PG, Evans J (2012) Disruption to the development of maternal responsiveness? The impact of prenatal depression on mother-infant interactions. Infant Behav Dev 35(4):613–626. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2012.07.020
Pearson RM, Evans J, Kounali D, Lewis G, Heron J, Ramchandani PG, Stein A (2013) Maternal depression during pregnancy and the postnatal period: risks and possible mechanisms for offspring depression at age 18 years. JAMA Psychiatry 70(12):1312–1319. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.2163
Prinzie P, Stams GJJM, Dekovic M, Reijntjes AHA, Belsky J (2009) The relations between parents’ big five personality factors and parenting: a meta-analytic review. J Pers Soc Psychol 97(2):351–362. doi:10.1037/a0015823
Puckering C, Allely C S, Doolin O, Purves D, McConnachie A, Johnson P C D, Wilson P. (2014). Association between parent-infant interactions in infancy and disruptive behaviour disorders at age seven: a nested, case-control ALSPAC study. BMC Pediatr, 14. doi:10.1186/1471-2431-14-223
Raby KL, Roisman GI, Fraley RC, Simpson JA (2015) The enduring predictive significance of early maternal sensitivity: social and academic competence through age 32 years. Child Dev 86(3):695–708. doi:10.1111/cdev.12325
Reiner I, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Van Ijzendoorn MH, Fremmer-Bombik E, Beutel M (2016) Adult attachment representation moderates psychotherapy treatment efficacy in clinically depressed inpatients. J Affect Disord 195:163–171. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.02.024
Roberts BW, Kuncel NR, Shiner R, Caspi A, Goldberg LR (2007) The power of personality: the comparative validity of personality traits, socioeconomic status, and cognitive ability for predicting important life outcomes. Perspect Psychol Sci 2(4):313–345. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00047.x
Rutter M, Quinton D (1984) Parental psychiatric disorder—effects on children. Psychol Med 14(4):853–880
Sidebotham P, Golding J, Team AS (2001) Child maltreatment in the “children of the nineties”—a longitudinal study of parental risk factors. Child Abuse Negl 25(9):1177–1200. doi:10.1016/s0145-2134(01)00261-7
Stein A, Gath DH, Bucher J, Bond A, Day A, Cooper PJ (1991) The relationship between postnatal depression and mother-child interaction. Br J Psychiatr 158:46–52. doi:10.1192/bjp.158.1.46
Swain JE, Kim P, Spicer J, Ho SS, Dayton CJ, Elmadih A, Abel KM (2014) Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers. Brain Res 1580:78–101. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2014.03.007
Thomson R M, Allely C S, Purves D, Puckering C, McConnachie A, Johnson P C D, Wilson P. (2014). Predictors of positive and negative parenting behaviours: evidence from the ALSPAC cohort. BMC Pediatr, 14. doi:10.1186/1471-2431-14-247
Thorpe K, Rutter M, Greenwood R (2003) Twins as a natural experiment to study the causes of mild language delay: II: family interaction risk factors. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 44(3):342–355. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00126
Warfa N, Harper M, Nicolais G, Bhui K (2014) Adult attachment style as a risk factor for maternal postnatal depression: a systematic review. BMC Psychology 2(1):56–56. doi:10.1186/s40359-014-0056-x
Wesseloo R, Kamperman AM, Munk-Olsen T, Pop VJM, Kushner SA, Bergink V (2016) Risk of postpartum relapse in bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Psychiatr 173(2):117–127. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15010124
WHO (2008) Maternal mental health and child health and development in low and middle income countries. World Health Organization, Geneva, http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/Perinatal_depression_mmh_final.pdf
Wisner KL, Sit DKY, McShea MC, Rizzo DM, Zoretich RA, Hughes CL, Hanusa BH (2013) Onset timing, thoughts of self-harm, and diagnoses in postpartum women with screen-positive depression findings. JAMA Psychiatry 70(5):490–498. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.87
Woolhouse H, Gartland D, Mensah F, Brown SJ (2015) Maternal depression from early pregnancy to 4 years postpartum in a prospective pregnancy cohort study: implications for primary health care. BJOG 122(3):312–321. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.12837
Acknowledgments
We appreciate all the families who took part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), the midwives for their help in recruiting them and the whole ALSPAC team, which includes interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust (Grant ref: 102215/2/13/2) and the University of Bristol provide core support for the ALSPAC. The current small-scale replication of this work in metropolitan Western Sydney, Australia, is supported by the Elaine Tolley Medal for Mental Health Research established through the Westmead Medical Research Foundation. This publication is the work of the authors who will serve as guarantors for the contents of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee, the University of Sydney and Western Sydney Local Health District Human Ethics Research Committees.
Conflict of interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Raine, K., Cockshaw, W., Boyce, P. et al. Antenatal interpersonal sensitivity is more strongly associated than perinatal depressive symptoms with postnatal mother-infant interaction quality. Arch Womens Ment Health 19, 917–925 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0640-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0640-6