Maternal and Paternal Postpartum Depression: Effects on Early Infant-Parent Interactions

While there is a well-established literature on the detrimental effects of maternal depression on infant-mother interaction and on infant development, the association between paternal postpartum depression and infant development has been rarely investigated. The relative newness of research on paternal postpartum depression, inconsistent research methods, lack of standardized guidelines, clinical heterogeneity and the possible gender-related differences in the expression of emotional disorders pose difficulties in the systematic investigation of the impact paternal postpartum depression has on the quality of infant-father interaction. This editorial highlights the significance of continuing research on maternal and paternal postpartum depression in the course of early infancy and: a) identifies differences in the expression of maternal and paternal behaviors that may indicate depression; b) comments on the self-report measures most commonly used for determining maternal and paternal depression status; c) reviews the prevalence, the onset, the duration and the risk factors of maternal and paternal postpartum depression; d) briefly presents the adverse effects of maternal postpartum depression on early infant-mother interaction and comments on the contrasting findings derived from the limited number of studies on the effect of paternal postpartum depression on certain dimensions of early infant-parent interaction. In connection to this, it is concluded that postpartum depression of mothers and fathers is a “systemic disorder” which affects not only the parent’s functioning and sense of well-being, but it also has an impact on the interaction of parents with their infant and affects the emotional health of their partner; and e) comments on the clinical implications for healthcare professionals and emphasizes the need to focus on the improvement of the quality of parent-infant interaction of depressed mothers and fathers.