Poster #57 - The Impact of Postpartum Depression on Parenting Stress and Bonding During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Poster Session 19

Abstract

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) can interfere with the establishment of affective bonds between infant and mother, which is important for the cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the child (e.g., Kingston et al., 2012; Ohoka et al., 2014). New mothers who suffer from depression may experience difficulties in perceiving and interpreting their children's communication signals (Tester-Jones et al., 2017), disrupting the development of socio-emotional skills of the child (Kingston et al., 2012). Rates of PPD have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (Chmielewska et al., 2021), possibly due to the added stress and more limited supports available to new parents. Here, we report baseline data from an ongoing longitudinal study conducted during the pandemic examining the role of medication treatment on maternal oxytocin levels, parent-child interactions, and infant outcomes during the first postnatal year.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between depression, parenting stress, mother-infant bonding, and COVID-19 impacts by examining: 1) levels of parenting stress and perceived bonding in mothers with and without PPD, 2) the association between depression levels, stress, and bonding in mothers with PPD, and 3) the reported impacts of the pandemic on birthing experiences and the postpartum period.

Methods: Participants included 65 mothers with healthy infants aged 2-6 months, who were followed through 12 months old. Participants in the depressed (n=40) and control groups (n=25) were comparable in education (depressed: 78% college+, controls: 92% college+, p=.129) and race/ethnicity (depressed: 43% non-Hispanic white, controls: 52% non-Hispanic white, p=.455) but more likely to be married (depressed: 65% married, controls: 96% married, p=.004). Depression symptoms were measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, maternal stress with the Parenting Stress Index, 4th Edition, Short Form, and bonding with the Postnatal Bonding Questionnaire. Mothers rated items and completed short interviews to assess the role of COVID-19 on birthing and postpartum experiences.

Results: 1) Depressed mothers reported higher parenting stress and lower bonding with their infant compared to controls at baseline (Table 1). 2) Depressed mothers with higher symptoms reported more parenting-related stress, r(38)=.64, p<.001, and total stress r(38)=.43, p=.005, perceived their child as more difficult, r(38)=.32, p=.039, and reported less bonding, r(38)=.32, p=.039. 3). Depressed mothers also reported higher stress related to returning to work and financial instability due to COVID-19 (Table 2). One mother shared: “I am terrified of bringing the virus to my baby…I have no support or connections during this time because I am so isolated.”

Conclusions: Initial results highlight the negative impact of PPD on parenting-related distress and perceptions of the growing mother-infant bond. The stress of having a new child may be particularly salient during the pandemic, when many supports have been less available. These results highlight the importance of treating depression early to help mitigate long-term impacts. We are coding parent-child free play data and plan to analyze differences in maternal sensitivity and dyadic reciprocity at baseline. We will also examine change over a 3-month period for mothers who received or refused medication treatment for their depression.

Authors

• Camila Alejandra Ferrario, University of California - Los Angeles
  Presenting Author

• Salma Yareth Peña, University of California - Los Angeles

• Misty C Richards, University of California Los Angeles

• Nicole M McDonald, University of California - Los Angeles