Maternal anxiety and depressive disorders prior to, during and after pregnancy and infant interaction behaviors during the Face-to-Face Still Face Paradigm at 4 months postpartum: A prospective-longitudinal study.

<bold>Background: </bold>Few studies prospectively examined the role of maternal anxiety and depressive disorders for early infant psychosocial stress responsivity.<bold>Aims: </bold>To investigate the role of lifetime maternal anxiety and depressive disorders for various early infant interaction behaviors during the Face-to-Face Still Face Paradigm (FFSFP) at 4 months postpartum.<bold>Study Design/subjects: </bold>Prospective-longitudinal study among n = 251 mothers (and their infants) from early pregnancy until 4 months postpartum.<bold>Predictor: </bold>Cumulated lifetime diagnoses of maternal anxiety and depressive disorders, repeatedly assessed with the CIDI-V from early pregnancy until 4 months postpartum.<bold>Outcome Measures: </bold>Infant positive and negative facial expressions and vocalizations, distancing behavior, self- and object-touch, observed during the FFSFP at 4 months postpartum.<bold>Results: </bold>As indicated by fractional logit models, higher proportions of object-touch were seen among infants of mothers with anxiety only (still face: 7.8%) and comorbid anxiety and depression (still face: 7.9%; reunion: 2.9%) vs. no anxiety and no depression. Higher proportion changes in object-touch were found among infants of mothers with anxiety only (play to still face: 6.4%) and comorbid anxiety and depression (play to still face: 7.2%; play to reunion: 2.7%) vs. no anxiety and no depression. Higher proportion changes in distancing behavior were seen among infants of mothers with comorbid anxiety and depression (still face to reunion: 1.1%; play to reunion: 1.3%) vs. no anxiety and no depression.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Particularly mothers with anxiety only and comorbid anxiety and depression and their infants might profit from targeted early interventions to foster favorable interaction behaviors in early infancy and thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]