Maternal Depressive Symptomology and Infant EEG: Moderation by Family and Neighborhood SES

• In Event: The Role of Community Contexts and Environmental Exposures in Brain Development

Abstract

Children of mothers who exhibit higher levels of depression are more likely to demonstrate more negative affect, more behavioral problems, and poorer self-regulation. On the neural level, maternal depression has been linked to greater right frontal asymmetry in children. Right frontal asymmetry has been associated with trait tendencies toward avoidance/withdrawal system, or negative affect. While studies have demonstrated that maternal depressive symptomology is linked to differences in children’s brain development, less is known about potential moderating factors of this relationship. Socioeconomic status (SES) factors, such as family income-to-needs ratio (ITN) and neighborhood disadvantage, may moderate the relationship between maternal mental health and infant brain development, as access to greater financial and other resources may act as a buffer to the effects of maternal depression, while reduced access to such resources may exacerbate the impacts of increased symptomology. Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine whether (1) maternal depressive symptomology would be associated with infant resting brain activity at one month of age and whether (2) family and neighborhood socioeconomic factors would individually moderate this association. Specifically, we hypothesized that maternal depressive symptoms, both prenatally and postnatally, would be associated with greater right frontal asymmetry. Further, we hypothesized that SES factors would moderate these associations, in that socioeconomic advantage would serve as a buffer to these effects. Mothers were recruited prenatally and completed the PHQ-8 both before birth (mean gestational age = 37 weeks) and after birth (mean infant age = 5 weeks). During the second visit, infants (n=49, 55% female) participated in a 5-minute resting-state EEG. Asymmetry scores were calculated for the frontal region, utilizing the alpha frequency band for infants (6-9 Hz, ln(F4) - ln(F3)). ITN was calculated by dividing reported household income by the federal poverty level for a family of that size in the year the family visited the lab. Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was calculated using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), a widely used measure derived on the census block level based on a factor analysis of neighborhood characteristics. All results controlled for child age and sex. Results indicated that neither prenatal nor postnatal depressive symptomology was associated with infant frontal alpha asymmetry. Further, testing each potential moderator separately, neither family ITN nor neighborhood disadvantage significantly moderated the association between depressive symptomology at either timepoint (interaction terms: B = .01, p = .12 (prenatal x ITN); B = .006, p = .61 (prenatal x ADI); B =-.007, p =.94 (postnatal x ITN); B = .01, p = .49 (postnatal x ADI). However, the association between ITN and greater left frontal asymmetry was marginally significant (b = .30, p=.054). In contrast to right frontal asymmetry, left frontal asymmetry has been associated with trait tendencies toward approach and positive affect. These results may have implications for better understanding contributing factors to early socioemotional and affective development.

Authors

• Katrina R Simon, Teachers college Columbia University
  Presenting Author

• Melissa A Giebler, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sonya V. Troller-Renfree, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Shanitah E Young, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kimberly G Noble, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author