Mothers’ depression can affect babies’ brains
A mother’s depression can have significant effects on her infant, UW Psychology Professor Geraldine Dawson reported at a national conference June 13.
Many infants of depressed mothers have reduced activity in parts of their brains that regulate such positive emotions as joy, happiness and curiosity, and if maternal depression continues, these children are more likely to have behavior problems by age 3 1/2.
In a 1992 study, Dawson linked maternal depression to reduced EEG activity in the left frontal lobe of the brains of infants who were 14 months old. That study involved low-income, multi-ethnic adolescent mothers. A 1996 study of primarily white, middle-income mothers replicated and extended the earlier findings.
Among the 3 1/2-year-olds, children showing lowered brain activity were more likely to experience problems such as withdrawal, being aggressive toward other children, sleep problems, crying episodes and disobedience. Dawson said maternal depression is only one risk factor for childhood depression and that this depression is treatable.