Maternal Depression In Children: A Case Study

Postpartum depression can have serious consequences for the health of both mother and child. Indeed, a recent study of 10, 000 postpartum women found 19.3% of women with postpartum depression had considered hurting themselves (5). In the United Kingdom suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in the postpartum period (6). Even in less severe cases, postpartum depression may compromise caregiving practices (e.g., are less likely to use car seats, breastfeed, or ensure that their child receives up to date vaccinations); (7;8) and maternal-infant bonding (e.g., are less responsive to their infants, engage in less face-to-face interactive play and participate in fewer enrichment activities); (7;9;10). These factors may be partly responsible for delayed cognitive, intellectual, social, and emotional development of the child (11-15). Given the negative consequences of postpartum depression, prevention and treatment is imperative.

Postpartum depression is one of the most commons disorders in the early few weeks of child birth. According to the American Psychology Association almost 1 in 7 women are Likely to inherit the disorder. Postpartum depression is caused by the rapid drop of estrogen and progestrone hormone following the birth of a child. The effects include excessive crying without reasoning, irritability, anxiety, loss of memory, and the inability to focus. Within the early weeks of child birth it is expected for a mother embrace her baby however;  The symptoms of postpartum depression can cause intrusive thoughts that can harm both mother and child. Many women suffer from the postpartum due to the lack of a support system. It is likely that if a mother doesn't

This journal article did research about the cause and effect of breastfeeding on women who have postpartum depression (PPD). They did research on the mother’s mental health status at the different time of postpartum, and inspected how breastfeeding could affect the mothers. The research found out that the effect of breastfeeding on postnatal depression is heterogeneous. Whether or not the

Postpartum psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, has become the most underdiagnosed complication in the United States. It can lead to increased costs of medical care, inappropriate medical care, child abuse and neglect, discontinuation of breastfeeding, and family dysfunction and adversely affects early brain development (Earls, 2010). Over 400,000 infants are born to mothers that are depressed. One of 7 new mothers (14.5%) experience depressive episodes that impair maternal role function. An episode of major or minor depression that occurs during pregnancy or the first 12 months after birth is called perinatal or postpartum depression (Wisner, Chambers & Sit, 2006). Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others (Postpartum Depression). The six stages of postpartum are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance and PTSD. These stages may affect any women regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or economic status. However only a physician can diagnose a woman with postpartum depression. It does not occur because of something a mother does or does not do, it’s a combination of physical and emotional factors. After childbirth, the levels of hormones in a woman’s body quickly drop; which may lead to chemical changes in her brain (Postpartum Depression). Unbalanced hormones may trigger mood swings.

In a study made by Gao et al. (2007), they found out that children of depressed mothers are three more times likely to develop behavioural problems.

Mental health has become an important factor in a persons well-being and is recognized as having the same importance as physical health. The mental health of a person can determine how they act in society. Their mood and behavior can be severely affected in ways that family or friends don’t understand. A mood disorder that has a significant affect on family members is called postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that occurs in women who have given birth a few weeks prior. This mood disorder is diagnosed after two months or even longer, new mother can be continuously sad throughout the day and feel as though not having a connection with their baby. Doctors are not able to know which mother will have postpartum depression

Depression is a major public health problem that is twice as common in women as men during the childbearing years. Postpartum depression is defined as an episode of non-psychotic depression according to standardized diagnostic criteria with onset within 1 year of childbirth (Stewart D., et. al, 2003, p. 4). For women aged 15 to 44 years around the world, Postpartum Depression is second to HIV/AIDS, in terms of total disability (World Health Organization, 2001). Depression has a profound impact on parameters of interpersonal behavior. Post-Partum depression

Women who have previously suffered with depression prior to childbirth have a higher chance of experiencing the debilitating depression. Teenage mothers have an increased risk of postpartum depression “with prevalence estimates ranging from 26% to over 50%” (Springer). Adolescent mothers can experience the consequences of postpartum more so than non-adolescent mothers because of “their increased risk of adverse birth outcomes, low self-esteem, little social support and parenting difficulties” (Springer) at such a young age.

Anemia, Low birth weight, Preeclampsia, and Premature delivery are effects of postpartum depression during pregnancy (Mena 2016). Mothers’ who were going through postpartum depression during the first three months of the child’s life were seen to be irritable and less engaged (Field 2011). Inadequate caregiving is also a major effect of postpartum depression (Field 2011). Mothers who have postpartum depression are less likely to continue breastfeeding if it becomes difficult (Field 2011). Infant’s with sleep problems are often put into unsafe sleep practices because of a mother’s postpartum depression (Field 2011). Infants of mothers with postpartum depression are less likely to attend well doctor’s appointments (Field 2011). Safety practices are often violated when a mother has postpartum depression (Field 2011). Some mothers have thoughts of harming their infants during postpartum depression (Field 2011). They also can have a fear of being alone with their child (Field 2011). Mothers with postpartum depression are also known to use harsher punishments (Field 2011).

In the United States and many other countries many women do not seek for treatment because they have many concerns and fear about medications. Depressed breastfeeding women concern about the exposure of the infants to medications. Also postpartum depression can lead to a suicide. Postpartum has been linked with some neurotransmitter such as dopamine and serotonin, but research continues working on that. Therefore, it’s very important to inform mothers about postpartum depression, so they will be able to recognize any sign and seek for help. Postnatal depression can be identified by the use of screening tools or interview schedule to diagnose women who are at high risks, then as result of these methods they can receive an adequate and early intervention using psychological and psychosocial interventions, as well as psychopharmacological interventions (Mallikarjum

One of the most devastating impact that postpartum depression can have on a mother is to interfere with the ability to care for her child. That is an instant blow to the bonding process. Mothers who suffer from postpartum depression start to feel inadequate as a parent. They have very little interaction with their infant. Quite often they will make less eye contract with their infant as well as, they display less examples of mother-child contact and positive interaction as compared to mothers who don’t have depression. A mom who has postpartum depression shows less affection toward their infant and they also are less sensitive and nurturing. At this stage the infant will sense the tension and anxiety the parent is feeling and in return they will withdraw from their parent. The interaction between mother and child at the early phase of a child’s life is very critical to the evolution of a child.

Postpartum Depression is depression that occurs after performing childbirth. This condition is often mistaken for the “baby blues” which has similar symptoms such as tearfulness, extreme sadness, anxiety, self-doubt, and fatigue. However, the “baby blues” goes away within a few weeks after and unlike the “baby blues”, postpartum depression can cause suicidal thoughts, difficulty making decisions, and feeling too exhausted to get out of bed for hours. If postpartum depression is not treated properly or soon enough it can drastically effect the lives of those who have developed it as well as their families. This is because a mother is a very important figure in one’s life because she is the first person that an individual ever makes an emotional connection with; she’s also the first one to play the role of supplying nourishment to her child. Consequently, “PPD can affect familial relationships and a woman’s capacity to care for and bond with her newborn. Some research indicates that young children of depressed mothers are at increased risk of delay in cognitive and language development” (McGarry, Kim, Sheng, Egger, & Baksh, 2009). Postpartum depression can take hold of a woman and her family’s life and is one of the most common complications of childbirth. However, “postpartum depression (PPD) is less frequently detected, treated, or the focus of obstetric research” (McGarry et al., 2009). This is because mothers suffering with postpartum depression are unable to seek proper

The researchers (Reising, et al., 2013) demonstrated parents who suffered from depression as well as financial hardship did not have a great relationship with their children impacting their psychopathology internally and externally. Thus (Reising, et al., 2013) revealed there are countless children living in the United States surrounded by triggers that may direct them to apprehension, for instance, parents who have suffered or are still suffering from compulsive dejection, financial economic hardship, and parents who are neglectful are a few characteristics that can and may influence children and adolescent to stress leading them to behave in a manner that is not aligned with their community. The following research article are in accordance with the previous literature review relating to parental stress and depression does have an influence on children’s behavior:

In the article “The impact of maternal postpartum depression on the language development of children at 12 months”, the authors, Quevedo, Silva, Godoy, Jansen, Matos, Tavares Pinheiro and Pinheiro, studied the relationship between some factors related to maternal depression during the first year of a child’s life and the child’s language development process (Quevedo et al.,2011). They hypothesized that a child whose mother presented maternal depression would have a lower performance than a child whose mother presented only a brief depression or no maternal depression (Quevedo et al.,2011). The researchers conducted the research on 296 mother-child dyads (Quevedo et al.,2011). This was a longitudinal study where different methods were used to perform this research (Quevedo et al.,2011). First, they used a diagnostic interview postpartum and 12 months after giving birth to evaluate if mothers were depressed. Then, they assessed the children using a language scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (Bayley 2006; Quevedo et al.,2011). Finally, mothers filled out a questionnaire about their socio-economic status, delivery and the health of the baby (Quevedo et al.,2011). The questionnaire evaluated whether the baby was premature or not and the baby’s caretaker (Quevedo et al.,2011). The results indicate that the duration of postpartum depression affected negatively the language development of the child (Quevedo et al.,2011). Also, it was found that maternal age,

A mother who struggles with depression post-partum is likely to expose her baby to more harmful effects. Gerhardt (2015) states that the baby of a depressed mother can find it difficult to cope with or get over stress, or they may be more fearful (p. 21). These babies also may respond to others with depression themselves, as their mother may be neglectful in their care (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 36). One of the reasons for this is because of their cortisol levels, which can fluctuate situationally. However, in infants this can affect their development (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 83) as well as their immune system (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 118), and is evidence that a mother with depression can have a significant impact on her child well beyond when the depression occurs. Additionally, Gerhardt (2015) notes that, “When they grow up, these babies of depressed mothers are highly at risk of succumbing to depression themselves.” (p.