The interactions between prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms, protective factors, stressful life events and neurophysiology in early infancy

Prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms have been linked to infants’ neurophysiological impairments, cognitive deficits, developmental delay, and persisting emotional and behavioral problems. Stressful life events may increase self-perceived depressive symptoms of mothers. Concurrently, social support may reduce prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms. This dissertation investigated how prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms relate to infants’ neurophysiological outcomes, as well as to protective factors for the mothers and stressful life events. The impact of maternal educational status on these relations was considered. 150 mothers and infants from socially and culturally disadvantaged families participating in a longitudinal study (Bremen Initiative to Foster Early Childhood Development). The participants were interviewed 1) after the 30th week of their pregnancy and till the 10th week after child birth, and 2) between the 2nd and 4th month after child birth, and 3) between the 6nd and 8th month after child birth. Neurophysiological activity was examined in six-to-eight-month-old infants as assessed by spontaneous Electroencephalogram (EEG). Different statistical analyses were conducted in this dissertation to investigate the interactions firstly, between prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms and infants’ neurophysiology and secondly, between prenatal and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms, stressful life events and overall social and partner social support. The results revealed changes of spontaneous brain activity during alert resting states in infants of depressed mothers, which were similarly observed in depressed patients. Low frontal and parietal alpha power and alpha desynchronization were reported for high-risk infants and related to their mother’s depressive symptoms and partly to their educational status. Stressful life events were predictors for the occurrence of maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Overall social and partner social support reduced maternal depressive symptoms and thereby, were significant resources for depressed mothers during both prepartum and postpartum. Neurophysiological markers, such as adverse alpha power and alpha desynchronization, might play an important role for the identification of infants at risk. Understanding the role of maternal depressive symptoms and its interactions with overall social and partner social support, stressful life events and maternal educational status may help developing effective intervention programs for families during the phase of pregnancy and early infancy.