Intergenerational Transmission of Maternal Prenatal Anxiety to Infant Fearfulness: the Mediating Role of Mother-infant Bonding

Overview

Journal Arch Womens Ment Health

Publisher Springer

Specialties Gynecology & Obstetrics
Psychiatry
Psychology

Date 2024 Jun 11

PMID 38861169

Authors

Sofie Rousseau

Danielle Katz

Avital Schussheim

Tahl I Frenkel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: This study is the first to directly investigate the mechanistic role of maternal bonding toward her infant in the early intergenerational pathway of risk from maternal anxiety to infant fearfulness.

Methods: Mothers (N = 216; M=32.78) reported on their anxiety and bonding at four time-points between pregnancy and ten-months postpartum. At four and ten-months postpartum, infant temperamental precursors of anxiety were assessed through maternal report and observation.

Results: Cross-lagged longitudinal path modeling indicated a significant link between prenatal maternal anxiety and infant temperamental fearful withdrawal at 10-months postpartum (R = 0.117), which was fully explained by decreased maternal bonding at one-month postpartum and increased infant temperamental negative reactivity at 4-months postpartum.

Conclusion: Results support the need to foster maternal bonding in preventive perinatal care, particularly in the context of maternal anxiety.

References

Schlesinger Y, Hamiel D, Rousseau S, Perlman S, Gilboa Y, Achiron R . Preventing risk for posttraumatic stress following childbirth: Visual biofeedback during childbirth increases maternal connectedness to her newborn thereby preventing risk for posttraumatic stress following childbirth. Psychol Trauma. 2020; 14(6):1057-1065. DOI: 10.1037/tra0000558. View

Brockington I, Fraser C, Wilson D . The Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire: a validation. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2006; 9(5):233-42. DOI: 10.1007/s00737-006-0132-1. View

Fox N, HENDERSON H, Rubin K, Calkins S, Schmidt L . Continuity and discontinuity of behavioral inhibition and exuberance: psychophysiological and behavioral influences across the first four years of life. Child Dev. 2001; 72(1):1-21. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8624.00262. View

Goodman J, Watson G, Stubbs B . Anxiety disorders in postpartum women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2016; 203:292-331. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.05.033. View

ODea G, Youssef G, Hagg L, Francis L, Spry E, Rossen L . Associations between maternal psychological distress and mother-infant bonding: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2023; 26(4):441-452. PMC: 10333415. DOI: 10.1007/s00737-023-01332-1. View

Nolvi S, Karlsson L, Bridgett D, Pajulo M, Tolvanen M, Karlsson H . Maternal postnatal psychiatric symptoms and infant temperament affect early mother-infant bonding. Infant Behav Dev. 2016; 43:13-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2016.03.003. View

Rogers A, Obst S, Teague S, Rossen L, Spry E, Macdonald J . Association Between Maternal Perinatal Depression and Anxiety and Child and Adolescent Development: A Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2020; 174(11):1082-1092. PMC: 7490743. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.2910. View

Mudra S, Gobel A, Barkmann C, Goletzke J, Hecher K, Schulte-Markwort M . The longitudinal course of pregnancy-related anxiety in parous and nulliparous women and its association with symptoms of social and generalized anxiety. J Affect Disord. 2019; 260:111-118. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.033. View

Slomian J, Honvo G, Emonts P, Reginster J, Bruyere O . Consequences of maternal postpartum depression: A systematic review of maternal and infant outcomes. Womens Health (Lond). 2019; 15:1745506519844044. PMC: 6492376. DOI: 10.1177/1745506519844044. View

10.

Beck A, Ward C, Mendelson M, Mock J, ERBAUGH J . An inventory for measuring depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1961; 4:561-71. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004. View

11.

Kajanoja J, Nolvi S, Kantojarvi K, Karlsson L, Paunio T, Karlsson H . Oxytocin receptor genotype moderates the association between maternal prenatal stress and infant early self-regulation. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2022; 138:105669. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105669. View

12.

Kazak A . Editorial: Journal article reporting standards. Am Psychol. 2018; 73(1):1-2. DOI: 10.1037/amp0000263. View

13.

Degnan K, Fox N . Behavioral inhibition and anxiety disorders: multiple levels of a resilience process. Dev Psychopathol. 2007; 19(3):729-46. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579407000363. View

14.

Schafer J, Graham J . Missing data: our view of the state of the art. Psychol Methods. 2002; 7(2):147-77. View

15.

Chronis-Tuscano A, Degnan K, Pine D, Perez-Edgar K, Henderson H, Diaz Y . Stable early maternal report of behavioral inhibition predicts lifetime social anxiety disorder in adolescence. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009; 48(9):928-935. PMC: 2789287. DOI: 10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181ae09df. View

16.

Weinstock M . The long-term behavioural consequences of prenatal stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2008; 32(6):1073-86. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.03.002. View

17.

Reck C, Muller M, Tietz A, Mohler E . Infant distress to novelty is associated with maternal anxiety disorder and especially with maternal avoidance behavior. J Anxiety Disord. 2013; 27(4):404-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.03.009. View

18.

Moffitt T, Caspi A, Harrington H, Milne B, Melchior M, Goldberg D . Generalized anxiety disorder and depression: childhood risk factors in a birth cohort followed to age 32. Psychol Med. 2007; 37(3):441-52. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291706009640. View

19.

Hardin J, Jones N, Mize K, Platt M . Parent-Training with Kangaroo Care Impacts Infant Neurophysiological Development & Mother-Infant Neuroendocrine Activity. Infant Behav Dev. 2020; 58:101416. PMC: 9258786. DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101416. View

20.

Calkins S, Dedmon S, Gill K, Lomax L, Johnson L . Frustration in Infancy: Implications for Emotion Regulation, Physiological Processes, and Temperament. Infancy. 2021; 3(2):175-197. DOI: 10.1207/S15327078IN0302_4. View