Effect of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety on Infant Development at 12 Months: A One-year Follow-up Study

Abstract

Introduction:To evaluate the effect of maternal postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety disorder (AD) during the postnatal first year on infant development at 12 months.Methods:This prospective study was conducted at the well child follow-up clinic. A total of 113 mother-infant pairs were included in the study. In the postnatal first month, faceto- face interviews were conducted with mothers in order to complete the questionnaire. At the end of postnatal 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression scale (EPDS) and Beck Anxiety scale (BAS) were administered to mothers. Those who scored ≥13 points in EPDS and/or ≥8 in BAS underwent psychiatric interviews and the structured clinical interview for the DSM-IV scale was performed. Infant development was evaluated at 12 months using the Denver-II Developmental Screening test and Guide for Monitoring Child Development.Results:The study was completed with 91 mother-infant pairs. Among the mothers, 23.1% (n=21) had a personal history of psychiatric disorder while 15.4% (n=14) had a family history of psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of PPD and AD was determined to be 10.9% and 25.2%, respectively. We found that the children of mothers with PPD had a higher prevalence of developmental delay in the domain of play at 12 months (p=0.048), while the children of mothers with AD had a higher prevalence of developmental delay in the domain of relating (p=0.049).Conclusion:PPD and AD affect not only mothers but also their children. Physicians conducting paediatric follow-up should evaluate maternal mental health and refer mothers for professional help if necessary.

Keywords

• postpartum depression
• anxiety disorder
• child development
• perinatal mental disorders