Bind, Rebecca H.Biaggi, AlessandraBairead, AoifeDu Preez, AndreaHazelgrove, KatieWaites, FreddieConroy, SusanDazzan, PaolaOsborne, SarahPawlby, SusanSethna, VaheshtaPariante, Carmine M.2024-09-252024-09-252021-05-25Bind RH, Biaggi A, Bairead A, et al. Mother-infant interaction in women with depression in pregnancy and in women with a history of depression: the Psychiatry Research and Motherhood - Depression (PRAM-D) study. BJPsych Open. 2021;7(3):e100. Published 2021 May 25. doi:10.1192/bjo.2021.52https://hdl.handle.net/1805/43597Background: Little is known about the effects of depression before birth on the quality of the mother-infant interaction. Aims: To understand whether depression, either in pregnancy or in lifetime before pregnancy, disrupts postnatal mother-infant interactions. Method: We recruited 131 pregnant women (51 healthy, 52 with major depressive disorder (MDD) in pregnancy, 28 with a history of MDD but healthy pregnancy), at 25 weeks' gestation. MDD was confirmed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders. Neonatal behaviour was assessed at 6 days with the Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale, and mother-infant interaction was assessed at 8 weeks and 12 months with the Crittenden CARE-Index. Results: At 8 weeks and 12 months, dyads in the depression and history-only groups displayed a reduced quality of interaction compared with healthy dyads. Specifically, at 8 weeks, 62% in the depression group and 56% in the history-only group scored in the lowest category of dyadic synchrony (suggesting therapeutic interventions are needed), compared with 37% in the healthy group (P = 0.041); 48% and 32%, respectively, scored the same at 12 months, compared with 14% in the healthy group (P = 0.003). At 6 days, neonates in the depression and history-only groups exhibited decreased social-interactive behaviour, which, together with maternal socioeconomic difficulties, was also predictive of interaction quality, whereas postnatal depression was not. Conclusions: Both antenatal depression and a lifetime history of depression are associated with a decreased quality of mother-infant interaction, irrespective of postnatal depression. Clinicians should be aware of this, as pregnancy provides an opportunity for identification and intervention to support the developing relationship.en-USAttribution 4.0 InternationalPerinatal psychiatryDepressive disordersDevelopmental disordersPsychosocial interventionsChildhood experienceArticle