The impact of maternal anxiety disorder on mother-infant interaction in the postpartum period.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study investigated whether postpartum anxiety disorder is associated to altered patterns of infant as well as maternal engagement in a Face-to-Face-Still-Face interaction (FFSF).

Sampling and methods

n = 39 women with postpartum DSM-IV anxiety disorder and n = 48 healthy mothers were videotaped during a FFSF with their infant (M = 4.1 months).

Results

Infants of the clinical group showed significantly less positive engagement during the play episode than infants of controls. This result depended on infant sex: male controls demonstrated more positive interaction than males of anxious mothers. There was no such effect for female infants who engaged significantly less positively during the play episode than males and did not change their positive engagem

SUBMITTER: Reck C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5969737 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature