Maternal depression and expressive communication in one-year-old infants

Infant Behav Dev. 2014 Aug;37(3):398-405. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.05.008. Epub 2014 Jun 20.

Abstract

To separate effects of maternal depression on infant cognitive versus language development, 1-year-olds were assessed using the revised Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III). Percentile scores on the Bayley Expressive Communication (EC) subscale were significantly negatively correlated with maternal self-report scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). However, mothers' BDI-II scores did not correlate with infant percentile scores on the general cognitive (COG) or receptive communication (RC) subscales. Boys had significantly lower percentile scores than girls on the RC and EC scales, but did not differ on the Cog scale. Gender and maternal depression did not significantly interact on any of the scales. These findings suggest problems with expressive communication precede, and may at least partially account for, apparent deficits in general cognitive development.

Keywords: Bayley scales; Cognitive development; Expressive communication; Maternal depression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Child Development*
  • Cognition*
  • Communication*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Depression, Postpartum / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Language Development*
  • Male
  • Mother-Child Relations / psychology*
  • Self Report