New research finds early mother-child bonding can partially address the negative effects of postnatal depression, reducing future psychosocial difficulties.

In the study, led by Associate Professor Daimei Sasayama from the Department of Psychiatry in collaboration with Professor Hideo Honda from the Department of Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychiatry, Shinshu University School of Medicine, researchers found that postnatal depression significantly predicted challenges in sixth-grade children, while strong bonding offset nearly 35% of that impact.

It's widely known that early bonding and postnatal depression can affect development in children. However, few studies have investigated the combined impact of postnatal depression and the benefits of bonding on emotional and behavioural issues.

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Postnatal depression (PND) is a condition that usually develops within the first year following the birth of a baby. It can affect any parent at any time and may happen slowly or appear suddenly. According to the NHS, it affects one in 10 people who give birth. Learn more.

The study included 245 mother–child pairs from Okaya, Japan, with children born between 2009–2012. The team used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale-Japanese version (MIBS-J) to monitor maternal depressive symptoms and bonding. They also measured child difficulties using a questionnaire.

“Interestingly, it was found that mother-to-infant bonding mediated 34.6% of the effects of postpartum maternal depression on child difficulties, which confirmed the study’s hypothesis,” explains Dr. Sasayama.

“Apart from these factors, the child’s sex was a significant predictor of psychosocial difficulties, with boys showing higher total difficulty scores than girls, particularly in conduct and hyperactivity or inattention.”

With that said, all the data suggests greater difficulties for children whose mothers had postpartum depression.

“Our findings help deepen our understanding of how early attachment experiences mediate the long-term impact of maternal mental health on children’s emotional and behavioural outcomes,” says Dr. Sasayama.

“Future research should prioritise developing interventions that enhance postpartum mother-to-infant bonding as an approach to mitigate long-term psychosocial difficulties in children,” adds Dr. Sasayama.

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